Supernatural The Kat's got claws
by xXx Scarlett xXx
Summary: Kat Elkin's joins the boys on their adventures; helping them to save their father & prevent the tragedy their family experienced from occurring again ... however they get more than they bargained for as her own family's past comes back to haunt them and revelations about herself turn their world upside down.
1. Chapter 1

And we couldn't just knock?" The silky English voice of a young woman filled the silence of the car.

"He probably wouldn't answer" a man's voice responded as they sat in a midnight black 1967 Chevy Impala. The night was cold and the street they were parked in stood silent.

"Probably? I think you should give him some credit he's still your brother (her tone changed into a light hearted and flirty version of her musical voice) and I know that deep down underneath that rough leather jacket there's a big softy somewhere" She poked him playfully. A smirk appeared on his handsome face.

"Come on we got some breaking and entering to do" He opened the car door. She mimicked his movements and joined him as he leaned against his car looking up to his brother's apartment.

"You know I never broke that many laws before I joined you and your dad" The mention of his father name twisted his features into worry and sadness. "Were gonna find him Dean" she placed a hand on his muscular shoulder. She knew he'd do anything for that man but Kat and John never really seen eye to eye.

"Right always the optimist huh Kat?" He began to walk over to the large wooden doors that led up to their destination. Dean hadn't spoken to Sam in a few years but he had told her so much about him that she felt like she knew him already.

"Yeah well with everything I've been through I had no choice but to find the silver lining" She handed him a lock pick and began to survey the street for witnesses. Concentration washed over his face as his tongue slightly poked out of the corner of his mouth. "You look adorable when you concentrate" He opened the door and gestured for her to step inside.

"Thank you, ladies first" She began to walk up the set of dark mahogany stairs Dean following close behind her. She turned her head in his direction just in time to see him divert his gaze from her ass.

"Dean sweetie stop staring at my ass" she chuckled lightly.

"I'm offended that you think that of me" his voice filled with fake hurt.

"I've may have only known you for just over a month but that is long enough to know what you're like" She'd often catch him staring at her out the corner of her eye. They stopped outside the apartment number 7.

"And you've enjoyed every minute of it" He winked at her then knelt down to begin to pick the lock. They stepped inside the apartment was in total darkness apart from the pale moonlight shining through the window illuminating Kat's smooth pale skin. She gestured to Dean and began to make her way into the kitchen.

All she heard was a creak of a floor board and then a loud crash.

"Dean?" A man's voice came from the other room; she walked to the door way to see Dean pinning the mystery man to the floor.

"I'm assuming your Sam" Kat's question distracted them both.

"Don't worry she's with me" Dean laughed as he peered down in to his estranged brothers eyes for the first time in years.

"You guys scared the crap out of me" Sam began to relax as he panted for breath.

"That's cause you're out of practice Sammy boy" Kat laughed at Dean's comment as Sam flipped Dean so that he was now the one doing the pinning.

"Or not are you boys gonna play fight all night?" Kat took a seat on the large sofa that was placed opposite the large TV screen. She flipped her dark chocolate brown hair over her shoulder.

"Get off me" Sam helped Dean to his feet.

"Not that I'm being rude and it's very nice to meet you miss? ..." he moved over to where she was sitting and extended his hand.

"Kat" She took his hand, her silver bangles lining her wrists jingled as they shuck hands.

"Kat, but what are you guys doing here?"

"Well we were looking for a beer" Dean took a seat next to Kat placing his arm around her.

"Dean shut up. He needs to speak with you" She elbowed him in the ribs, Sam smirked.

"I like you" She smiled at him again he'd never seen Dean this affectionate with a woman he wasn't planning on leaving the next day. "Why didn't you just use the phone?" He directed his question at Dean.

"Oh I tried suggesting that but you know what your brothers like" He did far too well.

"If I'd have called would you have picked up?" Their conversation was cut short by the sudden illumination of the room.

"Sam ... who is she?" Jessica pointed at Kat.

"Jess hey. Dean, Kat this is my girlfriend Jessica" He went to join her at the hall way door.

"Dean your brother? (Sam nodded) and are you his ..." Dean smirked as he opened his mouth to begin an elaborate lie but Kat spoke before he had time to tell another one of his stories like the time they posed as a newlywed couple and he spent the whole day calling her honey and smacking her ass . It's not like she didn't enjoy it but she would never tell him that.

"No I'm his ... business partner" Her and Dean exchanged a smile.

"Yeah and uh I have to borrow your boyfriend here and talk about some private family business" Dean and Kat stood up simultaneously. Her black off the shoulder jumper hugged her curvy body perfectly and although she was average height standing next to Dean made her look smaller.

"It was very nice meeting you Jessica" She nudged Dean and used her head to gesture to Jess her hair moved revealing her pierced ears complete with two silver studs and a cuff at the top of her right ear.

"Oh yes very nice Sam can we-"

"No. No. Whatever you wanna say you can say it in front of her" He placed his arm around Jess's shoulder. Dean looked over to Kat and then to Sam.

"Okay. Um ... Dad hasn't been home in a few days" Kat reached up and adjusted her pentagram that hung on a black string around her neck.

"So he's working over-time on a "Miller Time" shift; he'll stumble back in sooner or later" It wasn't the reaction Dean was hoping for but Kat didn't think he got the point of the conversation.

"Sam sweetie you dad was on a hunting trip and hasn't been home in a few days" The realisation kicked in and Sam's expression turned to worry.

"Jess, excuse us. We have to go outside"

The three of them started to make their way back down the stairs out to Dean's baby; the Impala.

"I mean come on; you can't just break in, in the middle of the night and expect me to hit the road with you guys" Kat and Dean's face held the same disappointed look.

"Sweetie your dads missing" Kat placed her hand on his arm.

"You remember the poltergeist in Amherst, or the devil's gates in Clifton? He was missing then too, he's always missing and he's always fine" He looked at both of them in turn.

"Not for this long. Now you gonna come with us or not?" Dean smiled his dazzling smile.

"I'm not" He began to sound frustrated.

"Dean-" Kat began but was interrupted.

"Why not?" Dean shrugged.

"I swore I was done hunting for good" He looked at Kat who nodded, Dean had told her about the situation with their mom and the arguments between Sam and John. Kat would have sided with Sam but she would never tell Dean that.

"Come on, it wasn't easy, but it wasn't that bad"

"Yeah? When I told dad when I was scared of the thing in my closet he gave me a .45" Sam stopped in his tracks.

"Well what was he supposed to do?" Dean turned to face him.

"I was 9 years old. He was supposed to say "Don't be afraid of the dark."

"Sam you of all people know what's out there if I'd have had a 45. When I was 9 my parents would still be here" Kat tried not to talk about her past but when she meet Dean and listen to him pour his heart out about his own tragic story she felt obliged to tell him about her messed up life too. Dean placed his hand on the small of her back and rubbed it gently, she smiled weakly.

"I'm sorry but - the way we grew up after mom was killed, and dad's obsession to find the thing that killed her, but we still haven't found the damn thing, so we kill everything we can find"

"Save a lot of people doing it, too" Dean continues to walk down the hall. Using his hand to usher Kat along with him.

"You think mom would have wanted this for us?" Kat opened the door and they step out into the street Sam following close behind. "The weapon training and melting the silver into bullets? Man, Dean, we were raised like warriors" Dean began to get angry and Kat could see by his face he was ready for a sarcastic outburst.

"De-"

"So, what are you gonna do? You just gonna live some normal, apple-pie life? Is that it?"

"Too late" She rolled her eyes.

"No. Not normal. Safe" Sam attempted to keep his voice down.

"And that's why you ran away?"

"Dean don't scoff it's very unattractive" Kat tugged on his arm as if to tell him to give up and let Sam get on with his 'normal' life.

"I was just going to college. It was dad who said if I was gonna go, I should stay gone. And that's what I'm doing"

"Yeah well dad's in real trouble if he's not dead already, I can feel it. We can't do this alone" He put his arm around Kat and rested his head on top of hers pulling his best puppy dog face. A face that Kat cannot say no too.

"Yes you can" Dean straightened up still keeping his arm draped around her, she reached up and placed her hand over his her black nail varnish shinning in the dim light of the street lamp.

"Well maybe he doesn't want to" Kat smiled up at Sam.

"What was he hunting?" Dean removed his arm and walked to the back of the car opening the boot revealing their arsenal.

"All right, let's see. Where the hell did I put that thing?"

"So when dad left, why didn't you guys go with him?"

"We were working on our own gig. This voodoo thing down in New Orleans" Kat leaned against the side of the Impala looking up into the night sky.

"Dad let you go on a hunting trip by yourself?" Kat laughs.

"I'm 26, dude"

"And I'm not his daughter besides I was hunting worse creatures when I was flying solo"

"All right, here we go. So dad was checking out this two-lane blacktop outside of Jericho, California. About a month ago this guy (He pulled out a newspaper clipping and handed it to Sam)

"They found his car but he'd vanished, completely M.I.A." Kat and Dean had gone over that file so many times they could recite it from memory.  
"So maybe he was kidnapped" Sam scanned the clipping. That was the first idea that her and Dean had come up with.

"Yeah well, here's another one in April (He handed Sam more articles) another one in December '04, '03, '98, '92. Ten of them over the past 20 years, all men, all same 5-mile stretch of road. Started happening more and more so dad went to go dig around. That was about three weeks ago. I hadn't heard from him since, which is bad enough. (He took out his phone from his pocket" Then we get this voicemail yesterday"

"(static obscuring Johns voice) Dean, Kat something is starting to happen, I think it's serious. I need to try to figure out what's going on (The tape then becomes inaudible, as the static takes over.) Be very careful, we're all in danger"

"You know there's EVP on that?" Sam pointed out still not looking too concerned.

"Not bad, Sammy. Kind of like riding a bike isn't it?" Dean smirked at his brother.

"I slowed the message down, and ran it through a Gold Wave took out the hiss, and this is what I got" Kat played the message again.

"(A woman's voice) I can never go home" Kat raised her eyebrows at Sam.

"Never go home" Sam pondered the words for a few seconds. Dean threw his phone into the boot of the car and slams it shut.

"You know in almost two years I've never bothered you. Never asked you for a thing" He looks up at Sam.

"All right. I'll go. I'll help you guys find him. But I have to get back first thing Monday. Just wait here" He turns and begins to go back inside.

"Why? What's happening on Monday?" Kat straightens up and takes a few steps forward.

"I have this…I have an interview" Sam sounded a little uncomfortable discussing this subject.

"What, a job interview? Skip it" Dean's usual 'we have all the time in the world' attitude was the one thing Kat couldn't stand about him. He never took anything seriously.

"Dean-"

"It's a law-school interview, and it's my whole future on a plate"

"Law school? Sam that great congratulations" Kat turned her head to look at Dean to yet again encourage him to be polite.

"So we got a deal or not?" Sam looked at Dean.

"Well I can tell this is going to be one hell of a family reunion" Kat slid into the back of the impala.

Kat's stormy grey eyes flickered open the sound of Sam rummaging through Dean's cassette tapes filling her ears.

"Hey you want breakfast?" Dean was waving some breakfast bars and a few cartons of juice in their direction.

"Sure, where are we?"

"Jericho, California" Dean hands her 'breakfast' through the back window.

"So how'd you pay for that stuff? You and dad still running credit card scams?" Sam continues through Deans collection.

"Well sweetie hunting isn't exactly a well paid job" She used her teeth to pull open the bar.

"Besides, all we do is apply, it's not our fault they send us the cards"

"Yeah and what names did you write on the application this time?" Kat and Dean had argued about this before if it wasn't stupid names it was famous rock stars eventually they were going to get caught out. Dean slides into the car.

"Uh…Bert Aframian and his son, Hector. Scored two cards out of the deal"

"And what about you? Do you have a problem with breaking the law?" Sam asked hoping for the answer yes.

"No I don't mind the odd credit card scam as long as it's done the smart way"

"Sounds about right. (that bit was said mostly to himself) I swear man; you gotta update your cassette-tape collection"

"Why?" Dean pretty much shoved the whole bar into his mouth.

"Well for one they are cassette tapes, and chew your food it's a very unattractive quality" Sam laughed as he pulled out just a few of the many tapes.

"Black Sabbath? Motorhead? Metallica? It's the greatest hits of mullet rock" Luckily for Kat she happened to be a big rock fan but she knew that challenging Dean's music wasn't a very wise decision. Dean grabbed a cassette out of Sam's hand. Kat mouthed along with the speech she had heard so many times before.

"House rules, Sammy. Driver picks the music, shotgun shuts his cake hole" He places the cassette in the player.

"You know Sammy is a chubby 12 year old. It's Sam, okay?" Dean turned the music up.

"I'm sorry, I can't hear you. The music's too loud" He winked at Kat as pulled out of the gas station, a huge sign saying Jericho in 7 miles greeted them.

They drove for a few more hours, Dean looked back at Kat threw the mirror, she was asleep with her head resting against the window. He reached down and turned the music down.

"Huh it must be love if you're turning down ACDC" Sam hung up his phone.

"Your funny, what did they say?"

"I'm surprised she can even fall asleep with that blasting, (Dean's expression changed, Sam recognised this as his impatient face) All right, so there's no one matching dad at the hospital or morgue, so that's something, I guess"

"Yeah" They arrived at the bridge where the accident had happened the night before. Police cars cordon off the area.

"So where did you meet her?" Sam turned in his seat.

"It's a long story" A very long complicated story.

"Yeah well with no leads and no ideas were gonna have a long time"

"Check it out" Dean gestured to the bridge, he pulled out a box of fake IDs. He flicks through a few then grabs two. "Let's go" They get out the car and start walking up to the accident.

Kat sit's up rubbing her eye's blinking a few times allowing for her contact lenses to readjust. She looks out the window to see Sam and Dean walking towards the car. From out of nowhere Dean smacks Sam on the back of the head. Kat burst out laughing as she wound down the window.

"Ow! What was that for?" Sam stopped but Dean carried on reaching the car giving Kat a hello nod.

"Why do you have to step on my foot?" Dean opened the door.

"Why do you have to talk to police like that?" Sam slid in the passenger side. "Come on. They don't really know what's going on. We're all alone on this. I mean if we're gonna find dad we've gotta get to the bottom of this thing ourselves" Kat leaned forward so that she was in-between them both.

"Boy's calm down were gonna find him alright" Kat smiled at Dean who stared blankly at her. "Right?" She raised her eyebrows at him.

"Yeah, come on let's go"

Kat sat in a computer cafe going through pages and pages of useless information about the history of the town. Nothing, nada, zip. She rested her head on the plastic desk.

"You pining for me sweetheart?" Dean wheeled a chair next to her. She rested her head on his shoulder.

"Nothing interesting has happened in this town in years, Sam's the collage boy why can't he do the boring stuff?" Dean kissed the top of her head as Sam slammed down his bag on the table next to them.

"Fear not my little angel as usual I have the answer" She lifted her head from his shoulder to look him in the eye.

"Oh really" Sarcasm dripped from her voice as she looked over to Sam.

"Local legend. This one girl, she got murdered out on Centennial decades ago, supposedly she's still out there. She hitchhikes, and whoever picks her up their never seen again" Dean begins to type. Sam rolls his seat over to the other side of him. 'Female Murder Hitchhiking' No results found. 'Female Murder Centennial Highway' No results found. Sam sticks his hand out to take the mouse.

"Let me try" Dean smacks Sam's hand.

"I got it" Kat kicked his chair rolling it out of the way allowing Sam to take over.

"You guys are control freaks" He rolled back over next to Kat.

"So angry spirits are born out of violent death, right?" Sam looked over to Kat.

"Yeah so maybe it's not murder" He types in "Female Suicide Centennial Highway" a single result comes up.

"This was 1981. Constance Welch, 24 years old; Jumps off Sylvania Bridge, drowns in the river" Sam moves over so that Dean and Kat can take a closer look.

" An hour before they found her, she calls 911. Her two little kids are in the bathtub, she leaves them alone for a minute, she comes back, they aren't breathing. Both die" Kat frowns.

"Our baby's were gone and Constance just couldn't bear it," said husband, Joseph Welch" Dean points to the screen

"That bridge look familiar to you?" They all exchange glances.

The three of them stood on the bridge as night was setting in.

"So this is where Constance took the swan dive" Kat elbowed dean in the ribs.

"Dean don't be so insensitive"

"So you think dad would have been here?" Sam turned to look at them both.

"Well he's chasing the same story and we're chasing him" Dean look down to Kat.

"Right so now what?" Sam looked around.

"Now we keep digging till we find him. It might take a while" Kat walked to the side of the bridge and looked down into the flowing water.

"Dean, I've gotta get back by—"

"Monday. Right, the interview" Dean went to the opposite side.

"Yeah" Sam sighed.

"Yeah, I forgot. You're really serious about this aren't you? You think you're just gonna become some lawyer? Marry your girl?" The life every hunter secretly dreams off.

"Maybe. Why not?" Kat just stayed there looking at the rough water their family disagreements was none of her business.

"Does Jessica know the truth about you? I mean, does she know about the things you've done?" Dean began to walk closer to him.

No and she's not ever going to know"

"Well that's healthy. You can pretend all you want, Sammy. But sooner or later you're going to have to face up to who you really are" He starts walking down bridge the bridge.

"Who is that?" Sam follows him.

"One of us"

"No, I'm not like you. This is not going to be my life"

"Well you've got a responsibility" Kat knew where this was going so she began to slowly walk to where the confrontation was taking place.

"To dad and his crusade? If it weren't for pictures I wouldn't even know what mom looks like. What difference would it make? Even if we do find the thing that killed her, mom's gone, and she isn't coming back" Oh no! Say whatever you want about Dean but do not question his family loyalty. Too late. Dean grabbed Sam by the shirt and shoved him up against a rail on the bridge.

"Don't talk about her like that" Kat placed her hands on his back.

"Dean he didn't mean it he's just upset" He let Sam go. He turned to face her but she was distracted.

"Dean look" A woman in white stood on the side of the bridge. Sam turned in the direction Kat was pointing, the woman looks towards them and let's go of the rail she was holding on to and falls off the bridge. They all run over to where she was standing, but there was no sign of movement in the water.

"Where'd she go?" Dean and Sam continue to scan the water. Suddenly the Impala begins to start up.

"What the-" Dean turns to look at his car.

"Who's driving your car?" Sam looks at him but Kat already knew the answer Dean would never leave the key's to his 'baby' in the ignition. Dean reached into his pocket and pulled out his keys. The car started to drive down the bridge towards them. Dean grabbed Kat's arm and began to run shortly followed by Sam. They run but the car has no problem gaining on them. Kat pulls Dean over to the side of the bridge they all jump over the railings.

Sam and Kat dangled from the outside of the railing on the bridge. Sam struggled to pull himself up as Kat graciously flipped back over onto her feet. Her face held a expression of confusion as to how easily that movement came to her.

"Thanks" They both look around suddenly realizing that Dean was nowhere to be found.

"Dean! Dean!" Sam shouts down over the bridge. Dean appears crawling out of the water.

"What?"

"Sweetie are you all right?" Kat laughs as she see that he is covered in mud from the river.

"I'm super!" He signs 'ok' as he gasps to get his breath back.

"No need to get sarcastic with me!"

Sam and Kat watched as Dean went to check his 'baby'.

"It quite sad for a man to love his car that much" Kat looked over to Sam.

"Yeah, I've never been allowed to drive it"

"He's let me drive a few times but it's not worth listening to his backseat driving" They laughed.

"So you guys …" He raised his eyebrows suggestively.

"Err no were just good friends, he's missed you, you know"

"Really?"  
"Him and John are always telling me about you their little Sammy" And it was true if it wasn't John telling her about what the boys used to get up to as kids it was Dean telling her how he looked after him as a child.

"Car all right?" They arrived at the Impala as Dean shut the bonnet and sat on it.

"Yeah whatever she did to it, it seems all right now. That Constance chick—What a bitch!" Don't mess with his 'baby' Kat had once spilled a drop of coke on the dashboard once – talk about drama queen.

"Well she doesn't want us digging around, that's for sure" Sam joins Dean on the hood of the car. Sam and Kat laugh at Dean.

"You smell like a toilet" Sam smiled the first time since the road trip had started that Kat had seen him looking genuinely happy to see his brother.

"Come on lets go find a motel" Dean stood up and made his way to the driver's side.

"Oh so you can get in covered in mud but when I was covered in vampire blood you made me go get a change of clothes" Kat placed her hands on her hips.

"My car my rules, get in stop whining"

"Screw you"

"No you'd enjoy that too much"

Kat stepped out of the bathroom freshly showered her medium length hair towel dried in a messy bun.

"Woman in White" Dean handed her a piece of paper.

"Dad figured it out" Sam sat on one of the beds.

"All right, so if we're dealing with a woman in white, John would have found the corpse and destroyed it" Kat pulled out the brown plastic chair from the desk and sat down.

"She might have another weakness" Sam took the article out of her hand.

"No, dad would want to make sure, he'd dig her up. Does it say where she's buried?" Dean took of his mud covered jacket.

"No, not that I can tell. If I were dad though, I'd go ask her husband. If he's still alive" Sam stood up.

"All right, why don't you see if you can find an address, I'm gonna get cleaned up" Dean took a few steps towards the bathroom.

"Hey Dean--What I said earlier, about mom and dad, I'm sorry" Sam smiled weakly but Dean held up his hand to stop him from going any further into his apology.

"No chick flick moments" Kat rolled her eyes. They'd had a few 'chick flick' moments nothing to serious; Dean always lightened the mood with a witty comment.

"All right, jerk" Sam smiled his adorable, cute smile.

"Bitch" Smirk.

"Brotherly love" Kat shrugged with a wide smile. They were finally beginning to get on. Dean gave her a wink and shut the bathroom door.

Dean opened the bathroom door looking clean and smelling fresh.

"Hey guys, I'm starving. I'm gonna grab a little something to eat at that diner down the street. You want anything?"

"No" Sam was checking his voice mail from Jess and Kat was lying on the bed reading through John's notes.

"Aframian's buying" Kat giggled and shuck her head.

"Let me grab my shoes and I'll meet you at the car" He nodded at her and walked out of the hotel. Kat sat up and began to slip on her black and white converse; she began to tie them up when her phone rang.

"What's up sweetie you missing me already?"

"Babe, five-o take off"

"What about you?"

"Uh, they kind of spotted me. Go find dad"

"Dean-" She hung up and put the phone in her pocket. "Sammy let's get out of here" They managed to avoid the police and slip into the dinner that Dean was originally intending to go.

"What are we gonna do?" Sam's voice was filled with concern.

"Sam, Sammy calm down you go and see the husband and I'll get Dean out" Kat stood up.

"How?"

"Oh trust me it isn't the first time I've had to get your brother out of jail" and it wasn't fake 911 phone call get's em' every time.

"Fake 911 phone call sweetheart? I don't know, that's pretty illegal" She couldn't see him but she could tell he's be smirking.

"You're welcome"

"Listen, we gotta talk"

"Tell me about it. Sam went to see the husband surprise, surprise he was unfaithful, we are dealing with a woman in white. She's buried behind her old house. So that should have been John's next stop Sam's on the way there now. Dean I would have thought that destroying her corpse would have been your dad's first idea"

"He's gone. Dad left Jericho" Dean sounded disappointed and worried all in one.

"What? Sweetie how can you be sure?"

"I've got his journal"

"I've never seen him go anywhere without that thing"

"Yeah, well he did this time" He sounded frustrated she wished she could just wrap her arms around him and tell him everything was going to be ok.

"Dean were gonna find him"

"I don't understand, I mean what could be so important that dad would just skip out in the middle of a job?"

"I don't know sweetie but it's probably nothing ok just one thing at a time, let's go meet Sam"

"Right, try not to miss me too much"

"I'll try"

Kat arrived at the house; it looked like it had seen better days. The windows were smashed and the paint was yellowing and peeling. She noticed the Impala as she approached she saw Sam being straddled by the woman in white. Sam moaned in pain; she instinctively pulled her gun out (loaded with rock salt obviously) She aimed at her head. The shoot shattered the window, Deans not going to be happy about that. Sam started the car and drove it through the front of the house.

"Sam!" Dean shouts as he joins Kat guns at the ready running into the darkness of the house. "Sammy! You okay?" Kat ran to the car as Dean covered her.

"I think" He struggled to move.

"Can you move?"

"Yeah. Help me" Kat and Dean switched positions. Dean helps Sam out of the car and they are suddenly pinned to the side of the car by an old wooded chest of draws. They both struggled to try and push it away. Kat aimed at her ready to shoot but before she could the lights began to flicker on, Constance turned to see the stairs leaking water. She looked to the top of the stairs and her two children were standing there. They joined hands.

"You've come home to us mommy" The children suddenly appeared behind her. They grabbed her, she screamed as she and her children melted into a puddle on the ground. Sam and Dean pushed the dresser off of them and joined Kat to stand over the small puddle on the ground.

"So this is where she drowned her kids" Kat turned to look up at Dean, he placed his hand on her back.

"That's why she could never go home. She was too scared to face them" He kissed her head they had seen some traumatizing things over the years but that had to be one of the worst.

"You found her weak spot. Nice work Sammy" Kat smiled at him.

"(He laughs) I wish I could say the same for you. What were you thinking shooting Casper in the face?"

"Hey, saved your ass didn't it?" She poked his arm as Dean left her side to go inspect his 'baby'. "I'll tell you another thing. If you screwed up my car, I'll kill you" He started to move the planks of wood from the wall off the car.

"Well I'll take responsibility for the window"

The three of them are driving down the road. The car has one headlight out which Dean intended on fixing as soon as they pass the next garage. Sam was looking on the map to find the location of the coordinates "35-11" their father had left the in his journal.

"Okay here's where dad went. It's called Blackwater Ridge, Colorado"

"Sounds charming. How far?" Dean used his mirror to look at Sam as Kat had shotgun – gaining her the power to change the cassette (a privilege only she had)

"About 600 miles"

"If we shag ass we can make it by morning" Him and Kat exchanged excited smiles.

"Dean, um…"

"You're not going" Dean already knew the answer.

"The interviews in 10 hours, I gotta be there" Dean nods.

"Yeah. Yeah, whatever. I'll take you home" Kat could see the disappointment on his face. After about an hour and a half Sam had drifted to sleep, his soft snores filled the car.

"Dean this interview it's important to him, he's worked hard for this opportunity"

"Right"

"Dean he has a girlfriend, a career and future"

"And we don't?"

"Well I don't know about you but I don't have a girlfriend and I wouldn't exactly call hunting a career"

"Yeah well we I think we could pass as a married couple"

"Oh yeah why?" A seductive tone filled her voice.

"Well we argue all the time and we don't have sex" He flashed a smirk her way.

"You're funny aren't you?"

"I am yes thank you … do you ever wish you weren't a hunter?" She thought about it for a few moments.

"No I wish that the way I got into the job wasn't so horrific but I like the adventure and I don't think I could ever go back to a 'normal' life"

"Me either besides there's a lot of perk's to the job"

"Oh yeah"

"Yeah"  
"And what would they be?"

"Meeting you for a start" He turned to face her. He smiled a rare sincere smile.

"Really?" Kat hadn't had a family since she was 13 and she felt that the Winchesters were the closest thing she had ever had to one.

"Are we there yet?" Sam sat up rubbing his eyes. Dean focused on the road.

They pulled up to Sam's apartment. Sam grabbed his bag and got out of the car.

"You'll call me if you find him?"Dean nodded.

"Of course we will sweetie, good luck with your interview"

"Maybe I can meet up with you later, huh?"

"Yeah, all right" Sam started to walk towards the apartment.

"Sam. You know we made a hell of a team back there" He gestured to Kat and then him.

"Yeah"

"The three musketeers" Kat waved at Sam as Dean drove away slowly. They didn't get very far down the street when they heard Sam shouting and screaming. They both bolted out the car running towards the apartment. Dean booted the door in as they ran up the stairs.

"Sam!"

"Jess!" Dean ran into the bedroom pulling Sam out with him.

"Sam!" Kat began to run to the front door; Dean followed dragging Sam along with him.

"No! No!" Sam attempted to get free from Dean's grip to return to Jess.

"We gotta get out of here" Dean pulled him out of the room.

"Jess! No!" The room erupted into flames.

Kat and Dean finished up talking to the firemen that had extinguished the fire a few minutes earlier. They turn to see Sam standing by the boot of the car loading a rifle.

"This has hit him hard he's gonna need his big brother"

"I know, it's just it's been so long since I had to be a big brother"

"Yeah well you look after him and I'll look after you" He took her hand and kissed it softly.

"Deal" They walked towards Sam, Kat holding Dean's arm. Sam threw the rifle into the trunk.

"We got work to do"


	2. Chapter 2

Kat's eye's flickered open as she attempted to recall how she ended up hanging upside down in a cold, damp cave. She and Dean had been captured after the group had walked into a trap.

"Dean" She whispered. "Dean" She attempted to lift herself up and untie the ropes that were around her ankles but she was too weak. "Great let's follow these clearly marked set of claw marks ... idiot" She was referring to Dean. She had tried to tell him that it looked suspicious but had been told not to worry her 'pretty little head about it' "Yeah this is the last time I try to save your stupid ass no matter how hot it is" She struggled but it was no use she let herself fall back down, gently swaying from side to side. "Oh great motion sickness"

The weather was dull and a chilling breeze blew in the air. Kat pulled her coat tight around her as she leaned against the Impala. They had arrived at Blackwater ridge Sam and Dean had gone into the ranger's station to ask about their father. Since the day Kat and Dean had pulled Sam out of his burning apartment he had been having nightmares about the death of Jessica. Kat sighed as she knew he needed to talk about it but Dean wasn't the perfect shoulder to cry on and she had only known Sam for a few weeks. Sam and Dean appeared. Dean handed her a piece of paper.

"A group of campers gone missing" Kat scanned the permit as Dean filled her in.

"And that's our problem because ...?" Kat handed it back to him.

"Yeah she's right it's not our problem our problem is finding Dad, there not supposed to be beck yet anyway, the coordinates point to Blackwater Ridge so what are we waiting for, let's just go find dad. I mean why even talk to this girl?" Sam took the paper from Dean's hand.

"Girl?" Kat folded her arms across her chest as the harsh breeze whipped her hair around her face.

"Hailey, sister of one of the guys who's gone missing" Dean took his coat off and draped it around her shoulders.

"Thanks; well we might as well know what were walking into before we actually walk into it" Kat slipped her arms into her newly acquired jacket. She had always loved that jacket his black one she hated the old brown leather jacket.

"But-"Sam began but Dean exchanged an annoyed glance with Kat. Sam had had this attitude for the past few days and Dean had finally decided to confront his brother.

"Well since when are you all shoot first ask questions later anyway?"

"Since now!" He pulled open the car door and got in slamming it shut.

"Dean he's upset, he needs his brother" Kat placed her hand on his back to stop him from ripping the door off its hinges and escalating the row.

"He won't listen to me"

"It's not you who needs to do the talking"

"... come on let's go see this chick"

After visiting Hailey and hearing that she is going to be heading out into Blackwater ridge with her younger brother tomorrow Kat and Dean became determined to get to the bottom of this before someone gets hurt. They sat in a bar as Sam went through the images and videos that Tommy had sent to his sister from his trip. Dean has gone to the bar to get them some drinks.

"Sam, I know that we haven't known you for a long time but I just want you to know that if you wanna talk I'm here" He smiled weakly at her comment.

"Thanks but you don't know-"  
"Oh yes I do ... Dean loves you, but he's not that great when it comes to talking about feelings"

"You can say that again"

"Just think about what I said ok"

"Yeah I will thanks"

"Anyway ..." Dean placed the drinks on the table.

"You guys talking about me?"

"Not everything revolves around you" Kat poked him as he sat down next to her on the two seater. He smirked and she smiled at him.

"Err – guys (They broke away from each other's gaze) so Blackwater Ridge doesn't get a lot of traffic, local campers mostly. But still, this past April two hikers went missing out there, they were never found"

"Any before that?" Dean leaned forward and picked his drink up, he handed Kat her glass.

"Yeah In 1982, eight different people all vanished in the same year. Authorities said it was a grizzly attack. And again in 1959 and again before that in 1936. Every 23 years, just like clockwork"

"Did you find anything from the photos" As Kat finished her sentence and sipped her drink Sam pulled out his laptop.

"Okay watch this. Here's a clincher. I downloaded that guy, Tommy's, video to the laptop. Check this out" Kat and Dean leaned forward to get a better view. Dean placed his hand on Kat's back 'for support'. Sam played the video frame by frame so they could see the shadow of something moving extremely fast outside of the tent.

"Do it again" Dean pulled Kat backwards on to his lap.

"Dean-" She began to protest but "Oh my god" "

That's three frames. That's a fraction of a second. Whatever that thing is, it can move" Sam shuck his head to emphasis the point that none of them had ever seen anything like that before.

"We told ya something weird was goin on" Dean threw a nut at Sam.

"Yeah. I got one more thing. In '59 one camper survived this supposed grizzly attack. Just a kid. Barely crawled out of the woods alive" Kat turned her head around to Dean as if to indicate she was interested in this 'kid'.

"Is there a name?" Kat looked over to Sam; the cheeky grin on his face answered her question.

"Look ranger, I don't know why you're askin' me about this. It's public record; I was a kid. My parents got mauled by a…" Mr Shaw was under the impression that Sam and Dean were rangers and Kat was a wildlife expert thanks to some fake id's and Kat and Dean's expertise in forgery.

"Grizzly? That's what attacked them?" Kat took a seat in front of him. Mr. Shaw paused in silence, and then nodded his head.

"The other people that went missing that year…those bear attacks too? What about all the people that went missing this year? Same thing? If we knew what we were dealing with, we might be able to stop it" Dean nodded at him.

"I seriously doubt that. Anyways, I don't see what difference it would make. You wouldn't believe me, nobody ever did"

"Mr. Shaw, what did you see?" Sam smiled reassuringly.

"Nothing. It moved too fast to see, it hid too well. I heard it though, a roar, like…no man or animal I ever heard"

"It came at night?" Kat asked looking over to Dean. Mr. Shaw nods.

"Got inside your tent?" Sam asked as he looked over to them, the expression on both their faces indicated that they had no idea either.

"It got inside our cabin. I was sleepin' in front of the fireplace when it came in. It didn't smash a window or break the door, it unlocked it. Do you know of a bear that could do something like that? I didn't even wake up till I heard my parents screamin'"

"It killed them?" Sam held a tone of sadness in his voice. Jessica.

"Dragged them off into the night"

"Why it left me alive…been askin' myself that ever since. Did leave me this though" He opened the collar of his shirt to reveal his chest with three huge scars that look like they were made by three huge claws. "There's something evil in those woods. It was some sort of a demon" The three of them exchanged glances.

"Spirits and demons don't have to unlock doors. If they want inside they just go through the walls" Dean stood next to Kat as they followed Sam down the corridor.

"So it's probably something else, something corporeal" Sam pushed open the door.

"Corporeal? Excuse me professor" Dean raised his eyebrows.

"Dean sweetie Shut up, so what we thinking?"

"The claws, the speed that it moves, could be a skin walker, maybe a black dog. Whatever we're talking about, we're talking about a creature and it's corporeal. Which means we can kill it" Dean opened the boot of his car, propped it up with a shotgun and pulled some pistols into a duffle bag.

"We cannot let that Hailey girl go out there" Sam leaned against the Impala.

"Oh yeah? What are we gonna tell her? That she can't go into the woods because of a big scary monster?"

"De-"

"Yeah" Sam interrupted her.

"Her brother's missing Sam. She's not just gonna sit this out. Now we go with her, we protect her, and we keep our eyes peeled for our fuzzy predator-friend" Sam moves to the back of the car.

"Finding dad's not enough? (He slammed the boot shut) Now we gotta babysit too?" Dean just stared at Sam. Kat shuck her head at Dean meaning for him to let it go.

"What?" Sam looked at both of them.

"(He shrugged) Nothin'" He threw the duffel bag at Sam and got in the car. Slamming the door shut behind him. Kat got in the passenger and Sam in the backseat; after a ten minute drive of complete silence they arrived at their motel. Sam got out of the car first.

"I'm going for a walk" He began to walk in the direction of a near-by cafe. Kat opened her mouth to call him back.

"Let him go, come on let's get some sleep"

They opened the door of the last available room. Two beds with horrible orange covers with red pillow cases and matching curtains.

"Dean he's upset, looking for John has gave him something to take his mind off Jess" She joined him sitting on the side of one of the beds. "He just ... he's trying to ignore it thinking that if he doesn't think about it; it'll go away and trust me it won't. The sooner he realises that the better" Kat began to think about her past and the death of her family.

"Yeah well the sooner we find dad the better" He kissed her forehead; he stood up ruffling her hair. "After your parents ... what did you- how long till you?" Kat looked up at him.

"It sort of never goes away but it gets better over time, you should at least try to talk to him about it, it'll help"

"Yeah well I don't think he's in the talking mood, I'm gonna take a shower"

"Alright, I'm gonna get some sleep"

"Sweet dreams"

"Try not to push me out of bed like last time"

"Hey I couldn't help it and you are a fidgety sleeper"

"Well I'm sorry, if you want you could rent another room"

"No you'd miss me too much" A few weeks ago they were passing through a small town. They went to the local motel to rent a room; they had one room left with a single bed. Dean offered to sleep on the floor but Kat insisted they could share. Dean was obviously not going to pass up an opportunity to share a bed with a woman so they did. Kat lay with her back to him and he wrapped his arm around her waist "To stop her from falling out in the night" instead he managed to roll over and knock her out causing her to hit her head. Dean of course insisted on kissing it better and she was hardly going to say no.

The next day they arrived just on time to catch Hailey, Ben her brother and the ranger they had hired. The boys had exchanged appalling muttered apologies just as Kat had woken up.

"You guys got room for three more?" Dean shouted over to them.

"Wait, you want to come with us?" Hailey turned to look at Dean.

"Who are these guys?" The ranger they had hired stopped to give the group a once over, they didn't exactly look like rangers and Kat had no idea what elaborate lie Dean had came up with for her.

"Apparently this is all the park service could muster up for search and rescue" Hailey didn't sound convinced.

"You're rangers?"

"That's right and this is Katherine (he paused for a moment, the cogs turning in his mind) Tyler (He knew Aerosmith was one of her favourite bands) she's a wildlife expert who's working with the department on the case"

"And you're hiking out in biker boots and (She turned to Kat) converse?" Dean and Kat looked over at each other then at their shoes.

"Well sweetheart, I don't do shorts" Dean smirked and he and Kat walked past her.

"What, you think this is funny? Its dangerous backcountry out there, her brother might be hurt" The ranger loaded his shotgun.

"Believe me; I know how dangerous this could get. We just wanna help her find her brother, that's all" Dean began to walk into the woods. Kat and Sam exchanged smiles that if it was possible to translate would say something along the lines of "great Dean's making friends already"

After a few hours of walking Kat and Sam had fell to the back of the group.

"So how are you today?" Kat looked everywhere but at him.

"Yeah I'm good, you?" She could tell he was lying.

"Well as good as can be expected when were hunting an unknown creatures that tears up hikers -while were undercover as hikers" She smiled sarcastically.

"Yeah but I'm sure you've seen worse right? Dean said you've been hunting most your life"

"Yeah Uncle Daniel taught me everything he knew when I was 13 and I did my first hunt when I was 16"

"So you have a speciality or ...?"

"Vampires" Kat had, had bad experience with vampires.

"Oh right I thought that they were extinct?"

"Well there's not that many around anymore but trust me their still out there" They caught up with the group as the ranger who they now know as Roy grabbed Dean.

"Whatcha' doin' Roy?" Dean held his hands up. Roy threw a stick into the ground and a bear trap snapped shut.

"You should watch where you're stepping…ranger"

"It's a bear trap" Dean – captain obvious. Kat shuck her head at him from behind the group.

"What?" He stood still waiting for the group to pass to join her at the back.

"Nice going ranger" Dean opened his mouth but Hailey came over to them.

"You didn't pack any provisions. You guys are carrying a duffel bag. You're not rangers and you're not a wildlife expert, so who the hell are you?" Kat and Dean looked at each other then to Hailey.

"Sam and I are brothers, and we're looking for our father. He might be here, we don't know. I just figured that you and me, we're in the same boat"

"Why didn't you just tell me that from the start?"

"I'm telling you now. Besides it's probably the most honest I've ever been with a woman apart from her (he gestured to Kat with his head). Ever. So we okay?"

"And are you his girlfriend?" She looked over to Kat with a hostile look on her face. Kat looks up at Dean who gives her the 'don't get me involved' look.

"No I'm his wife" Kat smiled sweetly at her as she frowned and walked away.

"And what do you mean I didn't pack provisions?" Hailey turned around as he pulled out a big bag of Peanut M&Ms. "Here you go honey" He lowered the bag to Kat.

"Thanks baby" She took one and placed it in her mouth as soon as Hailey was out of earshot they both burst out laughing.

"That girl doesn't like you" Dean laughed.

"You hear that that's the sound of my heart breaking" Dean put his arm around her shoulders and they began to catch up with the group. Hailey shoved past Sam who turned to see Dean and Kat giggling to themselves.

"What did you do?"

"Nothing, Sam have you meet your new sister in-law?"

"What? ... You know what I don't wanna know"

After a few more hours of evil glares from Hailey they arrived at Blackwater ridge. They stood on the coordinates 35-11.

"Nothing" Sam, Dean and Kat stood in a secluded circle.

"John wouldn't send us here if it wasn't important"

"We should look around" Dean turned to notice Roy had gone.

"Hailey, over here!" Roy shouted as they immediately began to run in the direction of his call. They arrive at a campsite; the tents were torn open and covered with blood.

"Oh my God" Hailey ran into the wreckage.

"Looks like a grizzly" Roy looked around the perimeter.

"Tommy? (Hailey took off her backpack) Tommy?!"

"Shh" Sam attempted to calm her down.

"Tommy!?"

"Shhhhh"

"Why?" Hailey stood up.

"Because something might still be out there" Kat kept her tone neutral.

"Sam! (Sam went over to where Dean and Kat) The bodies were dragged from the campsite. But here the tracks just vanish" Dean pointed to the floor.

"That's weird. I'll tell you what…that's no skin walker or black dog" Kat looked up to Sam. Hailey picked up Tommy's cell phone; it has blood spattered all over it and the back torn open. She started crying.

"Hey, he could still be alive" Kat weakly smiled at her.

"Help! Help!" A voice echoed through the forest. The group began to follow the call, Dean and Kat pulling out various weapons.

"It seemed like it was coming from around here didn't it?" Hailey turned to look at Kat and Dean.

"Oh no ... everybody back to camp now" Kat had realised that this had been a diversion. When they arrived back at the torn up camp their supplies had gone missing.

"Our packs" Hailey rummaged through what was left of the tents.

"So much for my GPS and my satellite phone" Roy shrugged.

"What the hell is going on?" Hailey directed her question at Sam.

"It's smart. It wants to cut us off so we can't call for help"

"You mean someone some nut job out there just stole all our gear" Roy looked over to Sam.

"I need to speak with you two … in private" Sam, Kat and Dean walk a good distance away." Good. Let me see dad's journal" Dean handed it to Sam and opened it. "Alright, check that out (He pointed to a drawing of a figure)

"Oh come on, Wendigos are in the Minnesota woods or northern Michigan. I've never even heard of one this far west" Dean looked over to Kat; she shrugged to agree with his statement.

"Think about it guys, the claws, the way it can mimic a human voice"

"Great (Kat takes out her pistols) Well then this is useless, we gotta torch the sucker"

"We gotta get these people to safety" Sam began to walked back to where they left the others. "All right listen up, time to go. Things have gotten more…complicated"

"What?" Hailey stood from her seat on a fallen tree trunk.

"Kid don't worry, whatever's out there, I think I can handle it" Roy tightened his grip on his shotgun.

"It's not me I'm worried about; if you shoot this thing you're just gonna make it mad. We have to leave now" Sam began to get agitated.

"One you're talking nonsense, two you're in no position to give anybody orders" Roy matched his tone.

"Sammy sweetie relax"

"We never should have let you come out here in the first place, alright? I'm trying to protect you" Kat rolled her eyes at the way he had ignored her, can't you tell he's Dean's brother.

"You protect me? I was hunting these woods when your mommy was still kissing you goodnight"

"Yeah? It's a damn near perfect hunter. It's smarter than you, and it's gonna hunt you down and eat you alive unless we get your stupid sorry ass out of here" Roy laughed.

"You know you're crazy right?"

"Yeah? You ever hunt a win-"Before he could finish his sentence Roy pushed him.

"Roy!" Hailey and Kat shouted in synchronisation. Dean intervened.

"Chill out"

"Stop; stop it, everybody just stop. Look, Tommy might still be alive, and I'm not leaving here without him" Hailey resumed her seat on the tree trunk.

"Dean It's getting late" Kat new he'd get the message. He nodded and turned to the group.

"This thing is a good hunter in the day, but an unbelievable hunter at night. We'll never beat it, not in the dark. We need to settle in and protect ourselves"

They had managed to create a small makeshift camp site complete with a fire. Dean and Kat used sticks to draw Anasazi protection symbols. Kat noticed Hailey and her brother quizzically staring at them.

"There for protection a wendigo can't cross over them" As Kat finished her sentence Roy laughed.

"Nobody likes a sceptic Roy" Dean stood up walking over to Sam. Kat followed sitting down next to him at the edge of the campsite. After sitting in a few moments of silence.

"You wanna tell me what's goin on in that freaky head of yours?" Dean – doesn't know the meaning of the phrase 'break it to them gently'

"Dean…" Kat smacked his knee.

"I'm fin-"

"No you're not fine; you're like a powder keg man it's not like you. I'm supposed to be the belligerent one, remember?"

"Sam, Dean's confused he doesn't mean belligerent he means loud mouth" She winked at him.

"Your funny aren't you?" Dean smirked sarcastically at her.

"You're laughing on the inside"

"Dad's not here. I mean that much we know for sure, right? He would have left us a message, a sign, right?" Sam broke their little play fight up. They both frowned as they knew he was probably right.

"To tell you the truth guys I don't think John's ever been to Lost Creek" Kat bit her lip.

"Then let's get these people back to town and let's hit the road, go find dad. I mean why we are still in here?" Sam looked over to Dean.

"This is why (Dean held up their dad's journal) …This book. This is dad's single most valuable possession everything he knows about every evil thing is in here. And he's passed it on to us, I think he wants us to pick up where he left off, you know saving people, hunting things. The family business" Kat smiled she hadn't been referred to as being a part of a family for years. Her uncle Daniel was the only family she had left and she hadn't seen him for years.

"That makes no sense. Why doesn't he just call us? Why doesn't he tell us what he wants; tell us where he is?" He looked to Kat for a straight answer as he knew he wasn't going to get one from Dean.

"I don't know sweetie. (She placed a hand on his knee and smiled) but there must be a reason why he gave us this job and we can't just up and leave now. Even if we could we have no leads so we should just get this job done and hope he gets in contact again ok?"

"No. I gotta find dad. I gotta find Jessica's killer. It's the only thing I can think about" He took her hand into both of his. He knew she knew what he was going through.

"Ok Sammy you gotta listen to me, we will find them I promise. But you have to know that a search like this could take a while, and all that anger and hate, you can't keep it all bottled up haul, it'll just hurt more. You gotta have patience and ignoring Jess's death isn't gonna make it go away"

"How do you two do it? How does dad do it?" Sam put his head in his hands.

"After my family was killed by vampires my uncle Daniel was the only family I had left, he was a hunter. So naturally I followed in his footsteps" She shrugged, smiling half heartedly. Dean put his arm around her pulling her closer to him.

"And for one thing … them. (Dean looked over at Hailey and her younger brother) I mean I figure our family's so screwed to hell; maybe we can help some others. Makes things a little more bearable. I'll tell you what else helps. Killing as many sons of bitches as I possibly can" He smiled.

"Help me! Please! Help!" The three of them immediately rose to their feet.

"He's trying to draw us out. Just stay inside the circle" Kat walked over to stand in front of Hailey and her brother.

" Help! Help me!"

"Ok that's no grizzly" Dean smirked at Roy's statement. Hailey screamed.

"Guys it's here" Kat called over to Sam and Dean but before they could do anything Roy shoot at it several times.

"I hit it!" He runs after it.

"Roy, no! Roy!" Dean turned to Hailey and Ben. "Don't move" He, Kat and Sam ran after Roy.

"It's over here! It's in the tree!" The windego reached down from the tree and snapped Roy's neck.

"Roy!"

"Were too late" Kat and Dean lowered their guns as they turned to Sam; he was standing over Roy's body.

In the morning after a long time spent telling Hailey and Ben about Wendigos and how a person becomes one, they were deciding on their plan of action.

"Guys we've got half a chance in the daylight if were gonna do this now's probably our best chance" Kat stood in front of the group loading her guns.

"Well hell, you know I'm in baby" Dean winked at her waving his gun in the air.

"Sammy?" Kat looked over to him.

"Let's kill this son of a bitch"

"Well let's go kill us a wendigo" She laughed happily as she knew Sam had taken on board what she had told him last night. And after following the trail for about an hour that's how they ended up in this predicament.

"Dean! For god sake wake-up" Kat attempted to swing herself over to him to give him a slap. "Oh my god we are so screwed, that's the last time I let a hot guy talk me into joining his little crusade if I would have stayed on my own I wouldn't be a part of an all you can eat buffet for a cannibal" She growled in frustration.

"Dean! Kat!"

"Sam oh am I glad to see you" Ben and Hailey ran over to Tommy.

"Wake up!" They pleaded with their brother. Sam cut Kat down holding her as if he was about to carry her over the threshold.

"How did you find us" Kat took the knife off of him and went over to Dean.

"We followed a trail of M&M's"

"Nice, Dean, Dean sweetie wake up" She shuck him. Sam grabbed his jacket and shouted at him.

"Dean!" He opened his eyes.

"What?"

"Hey, you okay?" Sam smiled.

"Yeah" He winched.

"Dean are you sure you're all right?" Kat knelt beside him on the ground. His face grimaced in pain.

"Yeah babe I'm fine, where is he?" They both looked over to Sam.

"He's gone for now" He helped Hailey and Ben free their brother.

"We're gonna get you home" Hailey propped Tommy up as Ben did the same on his other side.

"Check it out" Kat looked over into the corner to see an old duffle bag. She rummaged through it. "Bingo!" She held up her new found weapon.

"Flare guns…those'll work" she winked at him and twirled the guns.

"Let's get out of here" She helped dean to his feet and they proceeded down a long tunnel. The growls of the Wendigo echoed in the cave announcing its presents.

"Looks like someone's home for supper" Dean took one of the flare guns from Kat.

"We'll never outrun it" Dean looks down to Kat.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"You bet I am"

"All right listen to me. Stay with Sam, he's gonna get you out of here" Kat began to run back into the tunnel as Dean instructed the rest of the group.

"What are you guys gonna do?" Dean winked at her and began to follow the same path Kat had a few moments earlier.

"Chow time you freaky bastard! Yeah that's right, bring it on baby, I taste good .........Hey! Hey you want some white meat bitch!? I'm right here!"

Kat soon realises that she has gone around in a circle. She heard the wendigo growl then a flurry of panicked voices. She ran back to her original location just in time to meet Dean. They exchanged smirks as they both shot the wendigo through the stomach. It busted into flame from the inside.

"Did you order you wendigo medium rare or extra crispy?" Kat winked at Sam and the others.

Kat and Dean sat on the hood of the Impala outside the ranger station, as the ambulance loaded up Tommy and a police interviewed Ben and Sam.

"How you feeling?" Kat looked up at Dean.

"Tired and hungry"

"Oh well at least your back to your normal self again" She laughed as Sam came to join them. Hailey and Ben followed.

"I just wanted to say thank you and I hope you find your father" Dean and Sam nodded to her.

"You riding with your brother?" An ambulance woman called from behind her.

"Yeah (she looked down at Ben) let's go" They walk away. "Thanks Sam"

"I hate camping" Kat stood up next to Sam.

"Me too"

"Ditto" There was a long silence.

"Sammy, you know we're gonna find dad, right?" Dean smiled.

"Yeah I know ... but in the mean time ... I'm driving" Dean looked over to Kat.

"How about you let him sit in the front seat instead?"

"You can have the front seat, I'll sit in the back" She smiled and got in. Dean reluctantly handed over the keys.

"Just be careful with her ok" They both got in.

"You know it's kinda weird that you refer to your car as a 'her'"

"Yeah it's not natural for a man to love his car that much" Kat leaned forward resting her folded arms on the back of the front seat.

"I thought you were on my side?" Dean turned so he could face them both.

"Sweetie I'd agree with you but then we'd both be wrong"

"You know what Kat out of every hunter I have ever met you are by far my favourite"

"Well thank you Sammy" They both laughed as Dean turned the radio on. Bon Jovie's 'you give love a bad name' blasted from the speakers.

"No" Dean went to turn it over but Sam and Kat stopped him.

"Remember your rules sweetie 'driver picks the music shotgun shuts his cakehole' isn't that right Sammy?"

"I believe it is Kat yes, are you a fan of Bon Jovie?"

"Yes I am Sammy thank you for asking" She leaned closer to Dean as she said the last part because when he was driving if he didn't like it then there was no way it was being left on.

"And I thought you had taste" Dean looked back at her.

"Hey I chose you didn't I?"

"Oh yeah" He winked.


	3. Chapter 3

Kat took the last bite out of her breakfast. The tension between the boys could have been cut with a knife and there were plenty of them handy especially in the boot of the impala. Sam had gone to pick up a copy of to-days news paper.

"Babe what's wrong, you've been ... quiet the past few days" Dean distracted Kat from staring into space.

"I'm fine, it's not me you should be worrying about" The truth be told she didn't want to get involved in the argument about John.

"Here, take a look at this, I think I got one. Lake Manitoc, Wisconsin. Last week Sophie Carlton, 18, walks into the lake, doesn't walk out. Authorities dragged the water—nothing. Sophie Carlton is the third Lake Manitoc drowning this year. None of the other bodies were found either. They had a funeral two days ago" Sam handed Kat the paper he had been out to get.

"A funeral?" Dean took it off of her.

"They buried an empty coffin. For uh, a closure or whatever" Kat yawned.

"A closure? What closure? People don't just disappear, Kat. Other people just stop looking for them" Sam sighed heavily.

"Something you want to say? Cause if you do, don't take it out on her!" Dean slammed his hand on the table. That was exactly what Kat had been trying to avoid.

"The trail for dad—It's getting colder every day" Sam sighed.

"Exactly, so what are we supposed to do?" Dean was getting increasingly angrier.

"I don't know. Something, anything"

"You know what? I'm sick of this attitude. You don't think I wanna find dad as much as you do?"

"Yeah, I know you do, it's just—"

"I'm the one that's been with him every single day for the past two years, while you've been off to college going to pep rallies. We will find dad, but until then, we're gonna kill everything bad between here and there. Okay?"

"I'm gonna wait in the car" Kat stood up and walked out leaving the boys exchanging surprised looks.

"Maybe it's her ..." Sam nodded.

"What?" Dean raised his eyebrow.

"You know her ... time of the month"

"Oh, ..." He stood up, threw down a few notes and walked out to the car. He saw her sitting on the hood of the car staring at the sky.

"Kat, (He never really called her by her name unless he was addressing a serious matter) what's wrong? You can tell me you know that right" He stood in front of her; he lifted her chin so that he could look into her eyes.

"It's this thing between you guys ... I know it's not my place because I'm not family it's just ..."

"Kat babe I-"

"He's right Dean we have no clue where John is and he's getting more and angrier by the day ... eventually one of you guys are gonna say something your both gonna regret"

"What am I supposed to say to him Kat?"

"I don't know, I've always been the one being comforted"

After a long journey with few if any exchanged words between the boys they arrived at their destination. They went to gather information from the father of the girl and with the help of a few fake ID's managed to convince him that they were from the U.S Wild life service. After leaving the house they reviewed the information they had just been told.

"Ok so she didn't just drowned; Varsity swimmers don't just drowned 100 yards from their home" Sam allowed Kat to take his usual seat in the front next to Dean (Formally Kat's seat until a few weeks ago)

"No tracks by the sure line, it could be anything" Kat smiled as Dean winked at her, she took that as a silent 'are you ok?' wink. She smiled in response, half heartedly but it was more than Sam had given him for the past few hours.

"Right well let's go see the police report what you say babe?" Dean grinned at her.

"Sounds good to me"

Sam stat at the plastic table of their "reasonably priced hotel" more like cheap Kat always told Dean when he attempted to sugar coat the state of some of the places they had stayed over the past few months. Kat lay on the bed staring at the ceiling as Sam began to search the internet for any information regarding the case. Dean paced the room, after a few minutes Kat snapped.

"Dean! Sit down your annoying me" He'd never seen her in a bad mood before but the situation between the two brothers was starting to get to her. She was done with walking on egg shells. "I'm gonna take a walk I'll see you guys later" She got up taking her coat of the back of Sam's chair and slammed the door before Dean could insist on accompanying her.

She soon remembered that the woman her and Dean had meet earlier along with her son was heading over to the park. She decided that she would head over and talk to her. She walked into the park, she saw the little boy she knew as Lucas sitting on his own at a little wooden bench and table.

"Hey sweetie, how you doing?" Kat knew she would get no response as he had not spoken since he witnessed his father drowning. "You like to draw? Me too I studied it in school, do you mind if I sit with you for a while?" she looked at the pile of drawings on the table; a huge black swirl and a red bike seemed to be what most of them depicted. "Can I borrow a crayon?" She picked it up and began to draw on a piece of paper. "Sweetie I know what happened to your dad, see the same thing happened to my family , my mom and dad ... I know how you feel see I think that you might think that no one will believe you but trust me I will. See the things that killed my parents was ... well it was really, really bad. So I want you to know that if you want to tell me or draw me a picture about what you saw or ... here this is for you" She handed him a picture of her, Sam and Dean standing next to the Impala. "This is my new family, sort of (she laughed to herself) that's me and Dean (she drew him in his leather jacket with his arm around her and Sam) and that's his brother Sam" They all had smiles on their face so she was clearly using artistic license. Lucas just continued to draw and avoid eye contact with her just as he had been doing since she sat down. She sighed and stood up. "I'll see you around sweetie" She noticed that Sam and Dean were standing by his mother Andrea and began to make her way over to them. Dean smiled at her (he was testing the water to see if she was still mad) She smiled back and stood next to him and listened to the end of the conversation.

"They say it's a kind of post-traumatic stress" Lucas was the topic.

"That can't be easy, for either of you" Sam frowned.

"We moved in with my dad. He helps out a lot. It's just…when I think about what Lucas went through, what he saw…"

"Kids are strong. You'd be surprised what they can deal with" Dean placed his hand on Kats back; he knew what she had been through.

"You know, he used to have such life. He was hard to keep up with, to tell you the truth. Now he just sits there. Drawing those pictures, playing with those army men. I just wish…" Lucas walked up behind Kat and pulled at her sleeve.

"Hey sweetie" She knelt down in front of him. He held out a picture. "Thanks sweetie" Lucas walked back over to his table. She unfolded the paper to revel a little church with a red bike outside the gates.

Kat was asleep on Dean as they lay on the hotel bed. He stroked her hair as she nuzzled into his chest. Sam had gone out to the library to do more research on the "lake monster". Her eyes flickered open as she wrapped her arms firmly around his waist.

"What did you say to Lucas?" Dean kissed the top of her head and placed his hand on her back.

"I told him about my parents ... obviously I left the vampire bit out"

"Kitkat I - ..." Sam came in the door.

"Oh sorry am I ... interrupting someth-"

"What is it Sammy?" Dean cut him off.

"I think it's safe to say we can rule out Nessie, I just drove past the Carlton house. There was an ambulance there. Will Carlton is dead"

"An I'm going to take a wild stab in the dark and say he drowned?" Kat snuggled back into Dean's chest.

"Yep, in the sink"

"Ok that's strange even for us" Kat closed her eyes.

"This isn't a creature; we're dealing with something else, Babe any ideas?"

"A water wraith maybe? Some kind of demon? I mean, something that controls water…water that comes from the same source" Sleepiness filled her voice.

"The lake" Sam smiled at her as she clung onto Dean.

"Which would explain why it's upping the body count. The lake is draining. It'll be dry in a few months. Whatever this thing is, whatever it wants, it's running out of time" She yawned.

"And if it can get through the pipes, it can get to anyone, almost anywhere. This is gonna happen again soon" Dean put his arms around her again pulling the blanket over her.

"And we do know one other thing for sure. We know this has got something to do with Bill Carlton. It took both his kids" Dean relaxed and closed his eyes.

"And I've been asking around. Lucas' dad, Chris—Bill Carlton's godson"

"We better go pay Mr. Carlton a visit. You coming babe?" He ruffled her hair.

"No" They left her alone to catch up on her sleep. After a few hours of peaceful sleep the nightmares returned.

"No good night kiss Kate?" A tall, dark haired boy with the most amazing deep brown eyes stood at the end of the road that the house Kat grew up in was situated. Kat stood with her arms around his neck. She stood on her tip toes to reach his soft lips. They shared a passionate kiss as his arms wrapped around her waist protectively.

"Jack I gotta go my dad's gonna flip" She pulled away reluctantly. He kissed the top of her forehead.

"You want me to walk you to your door?" He still didn't let go of her hands.

"I think I can look after myself J" She smirked.

"Yeah well no matter how much martial arts you master there's things out there that are stronger than you" His voice held a tone of experience. Kat looked puzzled at his remark, she took it as him being an over protective boyfriend.

"Whatever, I'll call you tomorrow" She gave him a quick kiss and began to walk up to her house. She knew there was something wrong as soon as she got to the gate. The front door was open and the lights were off. She walked in slowly the scene before her unfolded; the creamy walls of her hall way were smeared in blood. The living room door was hanging from its hinges and there they were; her parents lay on the floor, blood pouring from their necks. A man sat in the arm chair by the fire blood dripping of off his chin. He had shoulder length thick black hair and dark eyes.

"I've been waiting for you honey"

"No! No!" Kat began to stumble backwards crashing into what was left of the door. He stood up wiping the blood from his mouth with his sleeve, revealing a deadly smirk. A sudden burst of adrenalin kicked in as she realised what this man was. She ran out of her front door the sounds of glass began crushed under her feet filled the otherwise silent street.

"Kate!" Jack came running towards her, he ran straight into the house but before Kat could follow him a strong hand grabbed her shoulder. Daniel Elkins Kat's estranged uncle pulled her into his car and speed off down the road.

"No! Uncle Danny Jacks still in there!" Kat turned to face her uncle.

"Oh baby he's dead already ... we need to get you out of here"

"What's going on ... that guy he, he had ..." The hysteria was kicking in.

"Vampire, a strong one to, Luther he's been around since the early 1800's" He speed around the corners with ease.

"What. No. No. This is crazy ... he can't, vampires don't exist ..." The tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Oh babe I didn't ever want to tell you this ever but all those things that go bump in the night, their all real" He genuinely never planned on telling her that all the monsters he used to tell her about in her bed time stories were real.

"Everything?" She had started to calm down as the shock kicked in.

"Everything and more, why do you think I insisted on you having all those martial arts lessons"

"How, how long have you been, known about this?" Kat wiped her tears on the black hoodie that Jack had lent her just a few hours before.

"A while, my speciality is vampires but I know a thing or two about all the other things"

"Other things? You hunt these things? Kat put her head in her hands.

"Yeah"

"How many people are we talking?" She sighed.

"There a good few of us, we do what we can to insure that we help everyone we can"

"So you help people by hunting these ... things?"

"Yeah ... and I know what's coming next and If it's what you really want then I'm not gonna stand in your way but revenge is no reason to throw your life away"

"Personal experience?"

"I know a guy who's wife was murdered by ... something, he's never stopped hunting it ever since. Even trained his children to help him in his crusade. I don't want that life for you"

"That guy said he was waiting for me, you just told me that all those creatures are real, one just killed my parents and my boyfriend and you expect me not to want in?" Anger was kicking in.

"Oh I knew you'd want in but make sure it's for the right reasons"

"Kat baby, hello earth to Kat" Dean gently cupped her face in his hands. She sat up instantly grabbing Dean's arms, slightly out of breath. "Babe what's wrong? ... the nightmares again?" She nodded as a tear slid down her face. "KitKat come here" He pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head. "It's alright I'm here"

"So do I want to know or?" Kat sat in the back of the car in Dean's arms; Sam got the privilege of driving.

"Jake and ill drowned a kid called Peter when they were kids so Peter -" Before Sam could finish his sentence Kat cut him off.

"Wanted revenge" Kat pulled Dean's arm tighter around her shoulders.

"Yeah" Sam sighed.

"And where did we get the sandwiches?" Kat used the hand that wasn't on top of Deans to look for a cheese one.

"Lucas made them for us, oh and he said to tell you that he has put the picture you drew for him on his wall" Kat smiled at what Sam had told her as she unwrapped the cellophane off of her sandwich.

"Oh and he drew you a picture of his family" Dean pulled a folded up piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to her. She unfolded it and smiled. Knowing that she had helped that little boys family made her sure that she chose this life for the right reasons.


	4. Chapter 4

Kat and Dean lay asleep in one of the single beds of the cheap motel room they had booked into the previous night. She ran her hand up Dean's arm that was situated across her waist preventing her from falling out of the tiny bed. He lay face down; the arm not around Kat was underneath his pillow. She lay staring at the ceiling, the atmosphere between the boys had gone and things were getting better. The door of the room creaked open and Sam came into the room holding coffee, donuts and tea. He slammed the door startling Dean causing him to wake up.

"Mornin' sunshine" He mocked Dean as Kat stretched.

"Hey Sammy" A yawn escaped her mouth.

"What time is it?" Dean sat up pushing the covers off of himself.

"5:45" He sat down on the bed next to theirs.

"In the morning?" Kat and Dean exclaimed in unison.

"Yep" Sam smiled.

"Come on Sammy" Kat lay back down pulling the pillow over her eyes.

"Did you get any sleep last night?" Dean pulled the covers over her.

"I grabbed a couple of hours"

"Liar. Cause I was up at three, and you were watchin' the George Foreman infomercial"

"Hey, what can I say? It's riveting TV"

"When was the last time you got a good night's sleep sweetie?" Kat's muffled voice came from under the pillow.

"I don't know. A little while, I guess. It's not a big deal" She took the pillow off of her face and sat up as he spoke.

"Yeah, it is. Sam if you're not on top of your game you could-" Sam cut her off.

"Look, I appreciate your concern-" Dean cut him off.

"Oh, I'm not concerned about you. It's your job to keep my ass alive, so I need you sharp. (Sam shrugged) Seriously, are you still havin' nightmares about Jess?"

"Yeah (He handed Dean a cup of coffee) but it's not just her. It's everything. I just forgot, you know? This job—man, it gets to you. Kat I got you tea I wasn't sure if you liked coffee or not so ..."

"You know despite the wisdom of Family guy not all British people sit around drinking tea and playing cricket"

"I'm sorry I, I just ..."

"Sammy I'm kidding, thanks" (She took the tea and pulled the white plastic lid off of the cup) "Sammy, sweetie you can't bring it home like that" She sipped at her tea.

"So, what? All this, it never keeps you up at night?" (Dean shook his head) Never? You're never afraid?"

"No, not really" He smiles weakly. Kat reached under Dean's pillow and pulled out a knife.

"That's not fear. That is precaution" He took it out of her hands and ruffled her hair.

"All right, whatever. I'm too tired to argue" Sam sipped his coffee as Dean's phone began to ring. He leaned over Kat and took it off the bedside table.

"Hey Sammy pass me a doughnut please and ... yes Sammy I still get nightmares from the day my parents died" Before Sam could respond Dean's conversation caught their attention.

"Hello? ... Oh, right, yeah, up in Kittanning, Pennsylvania, the poltergeist thing. It's not back, is it? ... What is it? ... We'll be right there"

Kat and Sam leaned against the hood of the Impala waiting for Dean.

"What do you think Kat? You have been doing this along time ever seen anything like this before?"

"Well the noises on the recording sounded like a demon to me but why it would want to total a plane I have no idea" Dean approaches them waving a set of fake ID's.

"Homeland security that's pretty illegal sweetie" Kat smirked.

"Yeah right like this is the most illegal thing we have ever done?" Kat considered his words for a moment.

"True I mean there was that time we, oh no the wait that other time that we ... (She sighed) good times" She smiled.

"Yeah, you know it Kitkat" He returner her smile.

"Yeah well sorry to interrupt your trip down memory lane but check this out" Sam gestured for them to join him inside the car. They get into the front and turn to face him in the backseat; he played them the recording from the cockpit voice recorder.

"No survivors"

"There were seven survivors. So ... what does this mean?" Sam closed his laptop. Kat looked up to Dean. He shrugged. "Could be a hunted flight like 401 or it could be a phantom traveller ..." Kat chewed on her bottom lip.

"You're so cute when you think" Dean smiled at her attempted to ruffle her hair but she smacked his hand away.

"Right so I think we should go see this guy Max Jaffey, he's from round here and if anyone saw anything weird it was him" Sam handed Dean a few papers.

"Why?" Kat questioned him.

"Well, I spoke to his mother, and she told me where to find him. Riverfront Psychiatric Hospital"

"Well that's a promising sign" Dean started the engine as Kat's phone rang. The name Daniel Elkins flashed on the screen.

"Uncle Danny are you alright?" Kat's voice held a strong tone of worry.

"Hey kido, how are ya?" His strong British accent was a sound she had missed greatly.

"Great hang on, Dean I'm gonna take this call I'll meet you back in the motel later" He nodded and she got out the car and waved good bye to the brothers.

"I thought I'd give you a call see how you're doing" She started to walk back towards there motel.

"Yeah don't take this the wrong way but that doesn't sound like you" She pulled her jacket across her chest. Well not her jacket exactly it was Deans; she commandeered it earlier when they were travailing in the Impala.

"... I heard your travailing with Dean Winchester" Kat's face dropped, Dean was not a subject she wanted to discuss with her uncle.

"Yeah and his brother Sam; why is there something wrong with that?" Her voice turned cold and harsh.

"Well their Winchesters so yeah" He spoke as if she should know better.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dean had been good to her since the day they meet.

"You can't trust em'" Kat was getting increasingly angrier.

"I assume you're talking about John?"

"Yeah, why you hunting with him?"

"No, he's gone"

"Gone?"  
"Yeah, vanished, disappeared however you want to put it"

"So you and Dean?" The way he spoke made it clear it was a question.

"What about us?"

"Where due' meet him?"

"In a bar"

"So your-"

"Filled with vampires"

Kat sat at the bar of a sleazy back street club that had a bad reputation for mysterious disappearances of young girls. A man who she knew as Quinn sat in a booth surrounded by beautiful women throwing themselves at him. Kat brushed her hair behind her ear and looked over her shoulder; meeting his deep chocolate eyes. A smirk appeared on his face making him look dangerous and sexy all at the same time. Kat just turned her head knowing that a woman turning her nose up at him would drive him crazy, forcing him to make the first move. She took another sip from her drink and sure enough he appeared at the side of her.

"Is this seat taken?" His voice caused the hair on the back of her neck to stand up. It was sexy and inviting with an edge of authority. She knew he was the real deal, not small fry like the vampires she had been hunting for the past few weeks.

"I don't see anyone sitting there do you?" She didn't even turn her head towards him when she spoke.

"Feisty, I like that, names Quinn" He gestured to the bar man. "The usual" As expected he received a glass of blood red liquid. The bar was quiet as the women that had surrounded him earlier had stormed out shortly after he abandoned them for Kat. Only a few customers remained. One caught Kat's eyes on several occasions; he was a middle aged man with thick black hair and beard. He didn't fit in with the rest of the crowd. Kat's eyes wondered over to him again, another man had joined him at the table; he was about her age, handsome with the most amazing green eyes she had ever seen.

"Am I boring you ... sorry I didn't catch your name" He moved closer to her.

"I didn't give it" She moved away from him.

"Playing hard to get huh?"

"No you're not _getting_ anything from me except –"A strong hand grabbed her arm.

"Babe there you are I've been looking all over for you" It was the green eyed man. "Sorry about her, she's a light weight when it comes to drink, sorry man" Kat pulled her arm out of his grasp and mimicked drinking and twirled his finger by his head emphasising his lie that Kat was drunk.

"Take your hands off of me" She stood up, straightening the 'little black dress' she was wearing; it hugged her curves perfectly with just the right amount of cleavage on show.

"Come on babe let's get you home, it's _dangerous_ for a girl like you to be on your own in a place like this" He emphasised the word dangerous.

"Look pal you heard the lady let go of her" Quinn stood up and Dean pulled Kat closer to him.

"Huh and what are you gonna do about it "pal"?" Dean smirked at him and Kat knew what was coming next.

"Oh you'd be surprised" His fangs appeared from his gums. Kat instantly pulled out a sai from her boot, covered in a red liquid. She stabbed it into his chest deliberately missing his heart. Green eyes pulled a gun on the bar tender who was about to jump the bar and aid Quinn.

"You missed sugar" Quinn's smirk faded as he realised what she had done.

"Dead man's blood nice touch" The older man from before appeared at their side.

"Bitch!" Quinn attempted to launch himself at her; she kicked him in the chest sending him crashing back into his previous seat in the booth.

"Remind me not to mess with you, I'm Dean" He smiled at her.

"Kat, nice to meet you"

"I'm John; I assume you have a purpose for keeping him alive?" He gestured to Quinn.

"Oh yes (She walked over to him and pulled her sai out causing him to groan in pain" where's Luther?"

"Luther?" Dean, John and Quinn said in unison.

"Yes Luther, where is he?" Kat examined the sai.

"You're very sexy when you're angry" He smirked.

"Screw you, where is he?" She pointed the sai at him.

"Look babe I don't know" She moved it closer to his heart.

"Lies and don't call me babe" She put a small amount of pressure on the sai.

"Wait! wait! Ok, ok I know who you are talking about I just don't know where he is"

"A vampire that high up in the food chain doesn't just drop off the map"

"Look the last I heard he meet this chick, Kate or something. Soul mates and all that shit now he's playing happy families"

"Where?"

"Colorado or somewhere near there, I swear that's all I know"

"Thank you, you've been most helpful" She turned to John and Dean. John had a machete in his hand. "He's all yours boys" Kat twirled her sai in her hand and placed it back in her boot as she made her way to the door.

"Hey wait!" Dean followed her to the door, the sounds of Quinn screaming in pain echoed throughout the empty club. The bar tender had already been dealt with.

"Yeah?" Kat couldn't help but smile as she took her first proper look at his face, he was gorgeous.

"You're a hunter?"

"Yeah, Kat Elkins" She held out her hand.

"Dean Winchester" He took her hand as John came to the door covered in blood.

"Dan's niece" He used a cloth from the bar to clean his weapon.

"Err yeah, the Winchester's I'm honoured" She shook John's hand.

"Well you have quite the reputation too"

"The Kat, the vampires are terrified of you"

"Yeah well they are my speciality"

"That's awesome" Dean smirked.

"Yeah well we should get out of here before the fire brigade arrives" John threw a match into the door and the place lit up in flames.

"Hey were gonna go grab a few beers, you wanna join us?" Dean pulled out his car keys.

"Sure" Kat wasn't going to pass up a chance to have a drink with a guy that looked like that.

After a few drinks the conversation turned to business.

"So you travel alone?" Dean sat next to Kat; John had gone to get the next round in.

"Yeah, I used to travel with my uncle but he's getting old, he handles the cases closer to home" Kat finished the last of her drink.

"Don't you get lonely on your own?" He frowned at her.

"Is that a way of asking if I'm single?" Before he could answer John placed the beers on the table.

"So kid what'd ya say about coming along with us?" John took a swig of his beer.

"Well you don't mess around do you?"

"This job it's dangerous, we need to stick together and I'm sure it would put your uncle's mind at rest knowing you're not on your own"

"Yeah we could use a woman's touch" Dean winked at her.

"Well if nothing else it will be good time" Kat held her glass up. "Cheers"

"Cheers" Dean and John mimicked her actions.

"And that's it? You just thought you'd hit the road with them" Kat used her key to open the motel door.

"Yeah, it was better than flying solo. Maybe I didn't wanna be on my own anymore" She threw Dean's jacket on the bed.

"So what Dean flashes you a smile and you're in?" Kat had, had enough.

"If all your going to do is question my decisions then maybe its best if we-"

"You know about Marry?"

"Yes" Confusion filled her face.  
"And rumour has it the youngest, Sam his girlfriend ended up the same" Kat knew where this was going.

"Yeah she did and?" She already knew what he was going to say next.  
"Make sure you don't too, that's all I'm asking kido, I love ya, you're the only family I got left. Don't throw your life away for a Winchester"

"... Uncle Danny I-" The tone indicating that she had another call waiting cut off their conversation. "I gotta go I'll call you later"

"Take care of yourself"

"Hey Dean" She tried to forget her previous conversation.

"Hey Kat, you alright?" He could tell by the tone of her voice that something was up.

"Yeah. Yeah I'm fine"

"You can't lie to me Kitkat"

"I'm fine, how's the case going?"

"We found sulphur in the wreckage"

"How did you get in?"

"We posed as homeland security"

"You committed a serious criminal offense without me?"

"Sorry babe I'll make it up to you. Listen the planes crash after 45 minutes in the air and whatever this thing is, it's gonna finish the job. It's killing the survivors"

"Final destination style?"

"Yeah me and Sam are on our way to the airport now"

"Dean sweetie you're scared of flying"

"I know but were gonna stop the flight attendant from getting on the plane"

"Right I'll meet you there" She stood up, picked up Dean's jacket and locked the door on her way out. She got a cab to the airport but with the traffic and the distance they had to travel she got there in time to see police and paramedics all over the airport. She noticed Sam and Dean standing near the exit avoiding the police. She weaved her way through the crowd of people and over to the boys.  
"Dean, sweetie are you ok?" She grabbed his face in her hands, he looked like he was about to throw up.

"Yeah, just remind me to never do that again" She tried not to laugh.

"Sam sweetie are you ok?" She noticed he had this distant look in his eyes.

"... There was this demon, he mentioned Jessica" Sam knew she wouldn't tell him to forget about it like Dean would.

"Sammy, demons they can read minds. They lie" She looked over to Dean.

"Come on" Dean interrupted them; he walked out of the door.

"Kat, tell me the truth" He half heartedly smiled.

"Sammy I – I, demons lie; they get pleasure from other peoples misfortune. Don't let it get to you, that's what it wanted" she placed her hand on his arm.

"Thanks ..." She knew he wasn't convinced but she did the best she could.

"Come on" She pulled his arm and they joined Dean as he was talking to Jerry. Kat and Sam stood at either side of Dean.

"I meant to ask you—how did you get my cell phone number, anyway? I've only had it for, like, six months" Dean put his arm around Kat's waist.

"Your dad gave it to me" Jerry began to walk away as they all exchanged curious glances.

"When did you talk to him?" Dean took a step forward.

"Well, I didn't exactly talk to him, but I called his number, and his voice message said to give you a call. Thanks again, guys" He walked away. Leaving them with a lot of unanswered questions.

Kat and Dean sat on the hood of the Impala. Kat rested her head on his shoulder.

"So how was Danny?"

"Fine" He knew she was lying.

"Fine, what did he want?"

"To see how I am, he heard I was travailing with you"

"Oh yeah, did you tell him I was looking after you?" He chuckled.

"Yeah I did" Sam came out of the store.

"I've called dad's number like fifty times, It's been out of service" He handed Kat a bottle of coke.

"Thanks Sammy" Dean got his phone out of his pocket, he dialled John's number.

"This is John Winchester. I can't be reached. If this is an emergency, call my son, Dean at 866-907-3235. He can help" Dean hung up. Tears welled in Sam's eyes as he got into the car. Kat looked up at Dean he looked as if he was on the verge of tears.

"Baby we'll find him" She kissed his cheek and stood up to join Sam in the car. Dean followed a moment later and they began driving in no particular direction in silence.


	5. Chapter 5

"You want me to crash a funeral?" Kat examined the black dress Dean had picked out for her to attend the funeral of Mr. Shoemaker who died under mysterious circumstances.

"Come on Kat the guy bleed out of his eyes, the guy at the morgue said they were practically liquefied" Dean waved the dress in front of her.

"Nice, thanks for that Dean" She snatched it out of his hand and proceeded into the bathroom. She put the dress on and frowned at how low the neckline was and how short the bottom was. She emerged from the bathroom.

"I take it you picked this dress?" She directed her question to Dean.

"Yes I did and you're welcome" He smiled.

"For what making me look like Shoemaker's mistress?" She looked at herself in the floor length mirror.

"I told you she wouldn't like it" Sam closed his laptop.

"Well you look very beautiful" Dean threw a few fries at Sam.

"Yeah well I'm not going to a funeral dressed like a prostitute" Kat picked up Dean's burger and took a bite out of it.

"You do not look like a prostitute" She placed the burger back into its box and picked up his large drink, taking a sip.

"I'm putting my black jeans on" She put the drink down and took a handful of fries and began to walk over to the single bed her and Dean shared last night.

"You can't go to a wake in jeans" Sam smiled nervously at her.

"Ok fine you guys go in your homeland revenue suits" She sat on the bed and began to pull clothes out of her duffle bag.

"No we can't ... we have-" Dean looked over to Sam for an excuse.

"Research" Sam finished his sentence of for him.

"Yeah lots and lots of research" He smiled.

"You owe me Dean" She changed into her black jeans and a long black cardigan to hide her Aerosmith t-shirt. After posing as a colleague of Mr. Shoemaker she discovered that one of his daughters, the youngest thought it would be fun to call Bloody Marry on the night of her father's death.

"Bloody Marry?" Sam and Dean questioned her in a sceptical tone.

"Yes Bloody Marry" She sat in the back of the Impala.

"... Bloody Marry?" Dean questioned her again.

"Yes! Bloody Marry! Look I know it sounds crazy but isn't that what we specialise in?"

"True but still Bloody Marry"

"Shut up Dean" She playfully hit him round the head.

"As much as it pains me to say Kat I agree with Dean. I mean, everywhere else all over the country, kids play Bloody Mary, and as far as we know, no one dies from it"

"Exactly as far as we know" Kat raised her eyebrow at him.

"We'll looks like it happening for real here" Dean turned in his seat to face Sam.

"The place where the legend began?" Dean and Kat shrugged their shoulders at Sam's question.

"But according to the legend, the person who says ... it ... the person who says you know what, gets it. But here-" Sam shakes his head to emphasise that it makes no sense.

"Shoemaker gets it instead, yeah" Kat sighed.

"Right" Dean started the engine.

"Well I've never heard anything like that before. Still, the guy did die right in front of the mirror, and the daughter's right. The way the legend goes, "you know who" scratches your eyes out" Kat leaned over into the front seat and pushed at the tape in to the cassette player. Metallica blasted from the speakers. She smiled and resumed her seat in the back.

They arrived at the library the place was empty.

"Say Bloody Mary really is haunting this town. There's gonna be some sort of proof— like a local woman who died nasty" Dean held open the door to the building for Kat.

"Thanks sweetie. There's just one problem a legend this widespread it's hard. I mean, there's like fifty versions of who she actually is. One story says she's a witch, another says she's a mutilated bride, there's a lot more" They arrive near the computer section.

"All right so what are we supposed to be looking for?" Sam turned to Kat.

"Every version's got a few things in common. It's always a woman named Mary, and she always dies right in front of a mirror. So we've gotta search local newspapers—public records as far back as they go. See if we can find a Mary who fits the bill" Kat smiled at him.

"Well that sounds annoying" Dean looked around at the many shelves of books.

"No it won't be so bad, as long as we…" He turned and looked at the computers which all had a sign saying "Out of Order" stuck to their screen. Dean and Kat both laugh.

"I take it back. This will be very annoying" Sam wonders off into the many shelves lining the room.

Kat asleep on Dean's shoulder as he and Sam sat at a table. Sam was still looking for leads on the case.

"So what's the deal with you and her?" Sam shut the book he was reading and looked over to Dean.

"Nothing" He scanned through the book in his hand.

"Oh come on Dean you let her drive the Impala, it must be love" Sam smiled but his expression soon change as he saw Dean's reaction.

"Just drop it Sam ok" Dean slammed the book on the table causing Kat to wake up.

"What's going on? Did you find anything?" She rubbed her eyes.

"Oh besides a whole new level of frustration? No. I've looked at everything. A few local women, a Laura and a Catherine committed suicide in front of a mirror, and a giant mirror fell on a guy named Dave, but uh, no Mary" Sam closed the book in defeat. Kat's phone began to ring. She answered it and recognised the voice of a girl named Charlie from Shoemakers funeral. Charlie had busted Kat's cover but she was able to convince her something strange was going on. She gave her, her number and told her to call if anything strange happened.

Charlie had told Kat of the mysterious death of her friend Jill who had met the same fate as Mr. Shoemaker. After examining her room they had found a handprint on the back of her mirror with the name Gary Bryman written in blood.

"I still don't get it I mean…the first victim didn't summon Mary, and the second victim did. How's she choosing them?" Dean looked at Kat as they sat in the Impala waiting for Sam.

"Beats me sweetie" Kat checked her messages on her phone. "Hey kiddo just wanted to tell ya that I'm sorry for how I reacted and I can't blame Dean for what happened with me and his father love ya Danny" She smiled as Sam pulled open the back door and got in next to Charlie.

"So, Gary Bryman was an eight-year-old boy. Two years ago he was killed in a hit and run. The car was described as a black Toyota Camry. But nobody got the plates or saw the driver" He handed Dean the papers and Kat leaned over to take a look.

"Oh my God" Charlie exclaimed.

"What?" Was the general response from the rest of the passengers.

"Jill drove that car"

"We need to get back to your friend Donna's house" Kat placed the papers on the dash board and turned to face Charlie.

"Linda Shoemaker" Kat read the name off of the back of the mirror Mr. Shoemaker died in front of. Sam and Charlie went to question Donna another of Mr. Shoemakers daughters.

"So what she kills people who have killed people?" Kat helped Dean put the mirror back on the wall.

"Does that include us?" Kat turned to Dean.

"What?" He adjusted the mirror so that it was straight.  
"We kill does that mean we deserve to die?" Kat tilted her head in thought.  
"Hey babe, we are not murderers we kill bad things, we save people" He pulled her into a hug. She wrapped her arms around his neck.

"When I, I found my parents after – after what happened ... the guy; he told me he had been waiting for me" Dean pulled away to look her in the eyes.

"Kat babe what are you-?" He removed a strand of hair from her face and rested his hands on her shoulders.

"If he wasn't looking for me he would have never been in my house he would have never-"

"Kat" She placed her hands on his wrists.

"He would have never killed my parents" a tear slid down her face.

"Babe listen to me it's not your fault ok?" He pulled her into a hug.

"... I know but" She rested her hands on his chest.

"No, no buts" He kissed her forehead.

"Dean! We gotta go!" Sam called from the bottom of the stairs.

"We'll talk about this later ok, come on let's go" He pulled her hand and guided her out to the Impala.

"Charlie's gonna stay and keep an eye on Donna, you alright Kat?"  
"Yeah I'm fine Sammy, thanks'" She got into the passenger seat. Dean gestured for Sam to come closer.

"Sammy why don't you go see what you can find out I'm gonna take Kat for a bite to eat, she's not feeling to good"

"Is she ok?" Worry filled Sam's face.

"Yeah she's fine, it's just this case it's bringing back memories" Dean frowned.

"Oh right, well I'll walk to library and I'll call you if I find anything" Sam began to walk in the direction of the library.

"Thanks Sam" Dean went round to the driver's side and got in. "Come on Kitkat I'm taking you for dinner"

They took the furthest possible seat away from any innocent ears. Monsters under your bed should stay there.

"So what due' wanna talk about?"Dean put his hands behind his head.

"I don't know"

"Come on, Johnny Deep, Aerosmith?" She slightly laughed at his comment but not for very long. "I'm worried about you"

"Me, I'm a big girl Dean I can look after myself" That was a sentence she had said many times in her life.

"Let me walk you home" Jack took her hand.

"J you live like two minutes from here, I'll be fine. I'm a big girl I can take care of myself" She smiled as he stood in front of her and took her other hand in his. He kissed the top of them lightly each in turn.

"I know you are" He then kissed her forehead.

"Well then I'll see you tomorrow" She tip toed to kiss his jaw line. He had always been taller than her ever since she first meet him.

"It's getting dark" He lifted his head up allowing her better accesses.

"Umhum" was the muffled response he got in-between kisses.

"Babe -" He put his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her away so that he could look into her stormy grey eyes.

"You're such a kill joy" She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Is it wrong for a boyfriend to want to ensure the safety of his girlfriend?" He raised an eyebrow complete with an amazing smile.

"...No, I hate it when you're right" She kissed his lips.

"Katie you have to be careful there are bad things out there" He put his arm around her shoulder and they began walking in the direction of her house.

"Kat, sweet heart" Dean waved his hand in-front of her face.

"Sorry I just ... mind started to wonder" She faked a smile.

"Babe I just wanna make sure you're ok, is that so wrong?"

"No, no it isn't, Thanks Dean"

"For what?" He smiled.

"Everything"

"You're welcome" He moved around in the booth to put his arm around her, he kissed her temple.

"Were gonna be ok, we'll find him" She rested her head on his shoulder.

"I hope so" Dean's phone began to ring, Kat sat up straight allowing him access to his pocket. "It's Sam" He held the phone up sp that they could both listen.

"Hey Dean, I got it; Mary, 19 lived by herself. Well know she won a few local beauty contests, dreamt of getting out of Indiana, becoming an actress. And on March 29th someone broke into her apartment and murdered her, cut out her eyes with a knife. She was trying to spell out the name of her killer but it could never be proved"

"Nice work sweetie"

"Thanks and the best part is I've found the mirror" Kat and Dean smiled at one another.

Kat sat in the back of the Impala on her mobile as Sam and Dean occupied the two front seats.

"Oh really? Ah that's too bad Mr. Worthington. I would have paid a lot for that mirror. Okay, well maybe next time. All right, thanks"

"So?" Dean asked as she hung up.

"That was Mary's brother. The mirror was in the family for years, until he sold it one week ago to a store called Estate Antiques. A store in Toledo" She sighed.

"So wherever the mirror goes, that's where Mary goes?" Sam turned in his seat so that he could see both Kat and Dean.

"Her spirit's definitely tied up with it somehow" Dean stopped at a light.

"Isn't there an old superstition that says mirrors can capture spirits?" Sam directed his question at Kat.

"Yeah, when someone would die in a house people would cover up the mirrors so that their ghost wouldn't get trapped inside" She brushed a strand of her dark brown hair behind her ear.

"So Mary dies in front of a mirror, and it draws in her spirit" Dean was thinking aloud.

"Yeah but how could she move through like a hundred different mirrors?"

"I don't know sweetie, but if the mirror is the source, I say we find it and smash it" Kat smiled.

"Yeah, I don't know, maybe" Sam's phone began to ring. "Hello" A look of concern fills his face. "Charlie?"

They had left Charlie in their hotel room after taking the precaution to cover everything that could be used as a mirror. Donna got angry and decided to prove her wrong by summoning Mary. Unfortunately for Charlie she had a secret; her boyfriend and her had a fight and he told her that if she left him he would kill himself. He was telling the truth.

The sound of the rain beating on the window of the Impala filled the otherwise silent car.

"You know her boyfriend killing himself, that's not really Charlie's fault"

"Sweetie you know as well as I do spirits don't exactly see shades of gray" Kat frowned.

"Dean, Charlie had a secret, someone died, that's good enough for Mary" Sam pretty much announced that he agreed with Kat.

"I guess" He sighed.

"You know, I've been thinking. It might not be enough to just smash that mirror" Kat leaned forward to listen in on Sam's theory.

"Why, what do you mean?" Dean replied.

"Well Mary's hard to pin down, right? I mean she moves around from mirror to mirror so who's to say that she's not just gonna keep hiding in them forever? So maybe we should try to pin her down, you know, summon her to her mirror and then smash it"

"Sweetie we don't know if that's going to work?" Kat twisted her ring around her finger.

"It's worth a try right?" Sam raised his eyebrows at the both.

"Well who's gonna summon her?" The question left Dean's lips and simultaneously Sam and Kat responded.

"I will" Kat and Sam looked at each other in shock.

"You know what, that's it" Dean sounded angry and Kat knew what was coming next. He pulled over "This is about Jessica, isn't it? You think that's your dirty little secret that you killed her somehow? Sam, this has got to stop, man. I mean, the nightmares and calling her name out in the middle of the night—it's gonna kill you. Now listen to me—it wasn't your fault. If you wanna blame something, then blame the thing that killed her. Or hell, why don't you take a swing at me? I mean I'm the one that dragged you away from her in the first place" He stopped to take a breath then turned to Kat. "And ... we talked about this earlier" He couldn't raise his voice to Kat partly because he knew she wouldn't stand for it.

"I don't blame you" Sam interrupted before Kat could respond.

"Well you shouldn't blame yourself, because there's nothing you could've done. Either of you" He looked from one to the other.

"I could've warned her" Sam broke the silence.

"About what? You didn't know what was gonna happen! And besides, all of this isn't a secret, I mean I know all about it. It's not gonna work with Mary anyway"

"Dean –"Kat put her hand on his shoulder but Sam's response intrigued both of them.

"No you don't" He sighed.

"I don't what?"

"Dean –"

"You don't know all about it. I haven't told you everything" Guilt filled his voice.

"What are you talking about sweetie?" Kat placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Well it wouldn't really be a secret if I told you, would it?" Kat didn't like his attitude and neither did Dean.

"Watch your mouth" Dean warned him.

"Dean he's upset and I don't need to you to fight my battles for me ok?" Kat didn't mean it in a harsh way but it certainly sounded like she did. Dean looked surprised at both of their responses and comments in the past few minutes.

"No. I don't like it. It's not gonna happen, forget it" He shook his head.

"Dean that girl back there is going to die unless we do something about it. And you know what? Who knows how many more people are gonna die after that? Now we're doing this. You've got to let me do this" Sam pleaded.

"No"

"Then I'll do it" Kat sounded determined.

"Babe I know and so does your uncle it won't work" Dean took her hand in his.

"It's worth a try and you're not my brother so you can't tell me what to do"

"I care about you, I'm not gonna let you put yourself in danger on the chance that it might work"

"Then it's decided" They both looked away from each other and over to Sam. Determination plastered on his face.

Kat sat in the front seat of the Impala keeping watch as the boys had broken into the store attempting to locate Mary's mirror. All of a sudden the police turn the corner. Kat slumped down in her seat and pulled out her phone. Dean was on speed dial number one.

"Sweetie it's the fuzz" Dean opened the door and approached the police officer. Kat got out of the car as quite as she could and approached the police officers from behind. Dean noticed her and she winked at him.

"You know, I just—I really don't have time for this right now" Kat taps the officer on the right on the shoulder and punches him in the face, he fell to the ground. Dean gives the other the same treatment.

"What a team" Kat smiled at his comment. "I'll take care of these guys you go help Sammy"

"Got it" She ran into the shop in time to see Sam's reflection talking to him.

"You never told her the truth—who you really were but it's more than that, isn't it? Those nightmares you've been having of Jessica dying, screaming, burning—you had them for days before she died. Didn't you!?! You were so desperate to ignore them, to believe they were just dreams. How could you ignore them like that? How could you leave her alone to die!?! You dreamt it would happen!" Sam's reflection screamed at him as he lay on the floor. Kat smashed the mirror with a crowbar from the other side; the shattered pieces fell to the ground around Sam.

"Sammy are you ok?" She knelt down next to him.

"Yeah" He nodded a little out of breath.

"I err heard what she said to you ..."

"Don't tell Dean" He grabbed her hand. "Please"

"It's ok sweetie, I won't just take it easy" She stood up in time to see Dean bursting through the door.

"Sam, Sammy!" He took Kat's place at his side.

"He's fine just a little shaken, I'll bring the car round" She ran out of the door and across the street pulling the keys out of her pocket. She had the spare key to the Impala; it must be love. She got in the driver's side and started the engine. She speeded down the street and right up to the entrance. When the boys didn't come out she realised that something must be wrong. She picked up the crowbar from the passenger seat and shoved open the door. She ran in; Sam and Dean lay on the floor with blood streaming from their eyes. Mary looked straight at her and smiled a terrifying smile as she began to approach her. Kat looked to the side and saw the answer to all her problems.

"How many innocent people have you killed bitch?" She pulled a beautiful antique mirror with a silver frame in front of Mary.

"You killed them! All those people! You killed them!" Her own reflection began to taunt her. Mary started to choke and melted into a pile of blood. Kat placed the mirror carefully against an old coffee table. She sighed in relief. The coffee table collapsed and the mirror fell shattering into a million pieces.

"Great seven years bad luck"


	6. Chapter 6

Kat's stormy eyes flickered open; she took in her surroundings. She was tied to some sort of pipe in the sewers that her and the boys had been in hours earlier. It all came back to her, how she managed to get herself in this situation.

Kat lay on the sofa of the motel they were staying in. She heard the door open and Dean walked in.

"Hey sweetie how's Rebecca?" She stood up and walked over to him as he took his jacket off and threw it onto the bed.

"She's fine, Sam's with her now" He put his arm around her and kissed her forehead. He pulled her closer to him. She wrapped her arms around his waist. He caressed her face and she looked up into his eyes.

"Dean-" He cut her off by crashing his mouth onto hers. She pulled him back by his shirt till she felt the end of the bed. She crawled backwards onto the bed and pulled him along with her by his shirt and resumed the kiss. Her hands roamed his chest and began to undo his buttons as her legs wrapped around his waist. She pushed it off of his shoulders and pushed him backwards so that she could gain superiority. Her silver pentacle brushed against his chest; he flinched in pain. She sat up immediately.

"Baby what's wrong?" As she finished her sentence she realised exactly what was wrong. He wasn't Dean. It was the shape shifter that had led them to this town in the first place.

"Nothing" He placed his hand on the back of her neck and pulled her back down so that they could pick up where they had left off. Kat reached down into her pocket and pulled out her silver flick knife complete with her initials. She stabbed him in the abdomen but it was too late he punched her in the face and it all went black.

She sighed and rested her head against whatever it was she was tied to. The sound of someone approaching echoed down the many passages that lay underneath the town. The shadow grew bigger as the figure approached. It was Dean.

"Kat sweetie!" He ran towards her and cupped her face in his hand.

"Dean?" He kissed her forehead.

"... No, had you going though didn't I?" He smirked.

"Screw you" Her face was filled with hate and anger.

"Oh you would love that wouldn't you; you couldn't get my clothes off quick enough" He smirked.

"No you're not Dean you just a freak!" Hatred filled her words.

"Oh no see that's where you're wrong KitKat" He ruffled her hair in true Dean Style.

"Don't call me that" He laughed at her, but it's short-lived as he grabbed his head in pain.

"You see I don't just look like your boyfriend I am him, I have his thoughts and memories" He sat opposite Kat on a crate. "You know he would bang you if he thought it wouldn't get you killed"

"What?" Kat was caught off guard by his comment.

"See he's had a thing for you since the moment he laid eyes on you" He smirked as he remembered how Kat and Dean first meet.

"Is there a point to this cause I'm getting extremely bored now?" Kat didn't believe a word he was saying.

"He thinks the moment he admits his feelings for you, you'll end up on the ceiling just like his mommy and little Jess" He used a sing song voice that you would speak to a baby in.

"What?" Kat was unfortunately interested by what he had to say.

"See the Winchesters have a bad reputation when it comes to women. It would be a shame to let something as pretty as you end up as a pile of ashes. Still he has some major issues when it comes to feelings" He stood up and paced around occasionally holding his head as more of Dean's memories flooded into his mind.

"Don't talk about him like you know him because you don't" After everything they had been through together and what dean had done for her there was no way she was going to let a scumbag like him talk about him.

"Oh see I do, I know him better than you and little Sammy. Little Sammy" He sighed. "You know Dean is extremely jealous of him"  
"What the hell are you talking about? Dean loves Sam" Kat knew it; she had come to terms with the fact that no matter what happened between them Sam would always come first.  
"Oh yeah he does. But the fact that Sam got to have a life and friends well that really pissed him off"

"He stayed because his father needed him" Kat never thought that she would be defending Dean's lack of backbone when it came to John. That was another thing that really, really annoyed Kat about Dean.

"Exactly! Where was Sam when he needed him?" he shrugged to call attention to his point.

"I've had enough of this" Kat struggled against the ropes.

"Oh yeah and what are you going to do?" He smirked; that sexy smirk that would normally make Kat think very, very naughty thoughts.

"I'm gonna kick your ass" She returned the smirk complete with a mocking laugh.

"Oh yeah, see I got a slightly different idea" He walked over to her, bent down and removed her pentacle making sure he didn't touch the pendent it's self as it was pure silver unlike the thick black string it hung on.

"He will kill you" He examined her necklace.

"No he won't, he'll be too happy that you made it out alive, you cloud his judgment. It's ironic really" He laughed again. "He was afraid to tell you how he felt because he thought it would get you killed and now it's your love for him that's gonna end his life"

"Oh so you got abandonment issues is that it? Nobody loved you so now you get your kicks from watching people in love suffer?" She kept eye contact with him. She wasn't scared of him.

"See that's what's the most interesting thing about your precious Dean" He moved his head closer to her.

"Oh yeah what's that?" She replied with a scornful tone to her voice.

"I mean I thought I had issues but him" He scoffed. "You know why he doesn't admit his true feelings for you?" He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"You just said it was because he didn't want to get me barbequed. You losing your touch?" She laughed at him.

"Oh yeah that's what he tries to tell himself but deep down it because everyone he's ever loved has left him" he faked a sad face.

"What?" Kat was shocked by his statement.  
"His mom, Sammy and now John; couldn't even be bothered to tell him where he was going just up and left, after everything he has done for him" Even he sounded as if he thought that was a harsh thing to do.

"There will be a very good reason for why he's gone" There better be.

"Oh I hope for his sake there is cause I don't know how much more disappointment he can take. ... Then again he's not going to live long enough to find out" He stood up.

"Whatever you say" She raised her eyebrows.

"Huh, I'll deal with you when I get back. I can see it now English girl murdered by psychotic boyfriend" Kat began to tug at the ropes that bound her wrists. She had, had a lot of practise in this line of work and she was free. Her plan was to get him whilst in his true form but he was still in Dean's skin and soon to be in hers. She pulled out her tiny revolver that was loaded with silver bullets and shot him straight in the heart.

"Shot!" She walked over to his body and pulled her pentacle out of his hand. She kicked him to roll him over. She bent over and pulled Dean's amulet from around his neck. She took a few steps away from him and then turned and gave him another kick.

"Bitch"

She emerged from the sewers pushing aside the grate and pulling herself onto the pavement.

"Kat!" She turned around to see Sam and Dean running towards her guns at the ready.

"Dean!" He wrapped his arm around her and kissed her forehead.

"I'm so sorry baby I should have called and told you he was walking around with my face"

"Its fine, it's over. He's dead" She relaxed into Dean as fatigue set in. "Here" She handed him his necklace.

"Thanks" He put it in his pocket and picked her up. "Come on you need to get some rest"

"That sounds like a great idea" She yawned.

"Have you lost much blood?" concern filled his voice.

"Not really, no more than usual"

"Have you been taking you iron supplements?" Kat was diagnosed with Anemia when she was 17.

"Yes dad" He placed her on her feet and opened the car door.

"There you go, try to get some sleep we'll figure this out"

"Thanks" He handed her his jacket and she wrapped it around herself and closed her eyes.

A few hours later Kat came round, her head was pounding but she knew she would get over it after a good sleep on a comfortable bed.

"Good morning sunshine" Dean smiled at her from the passenger seat.

"Hey, what happened?" She sat up rubbing her eyes.

"Cops are blaming this Dean Winchester guy for Emily's murder. They found the murder weapon in this guy's lair, Zack's clothes stained with her blood. Now they're thinking maybe the surveillance tape was tampered with" Sam smiled at her though the rear-view mirror.

"That Dean Winchester I always knew he was trouble" she laughed.

"But you know I gotta say – I'm sorry I'm gonna miss it" Dean smiled.

"Miss what sweetie?"

"How many chances am I gonna have to see my own funeral?"


	7. Chapter 7

Kat and Dean walked slowly through the Old North cemetery; it was the dead of night and they were searching for the unmarked grave of Jacob Karns A.K.A the hook man.

"This is unusual, I mean a sprit latching onto a person and feeding of their emotions?" Kat held Dean's hand as he guided the way with a flashlight.

"Well we haven't got any better ideas so it's worth a try right?" Dean stopped and pointed the flashlight at a tombstone.

"I suppose so" Kat moved closer to view the stone. "Bingo" The cross symbol that they had previously associated with Jacob was situated on the stone.

"Babe will you hold the torch an I'll start digging" He handed her the torch and took his jacket off. Kat slipped it around her shoulders and took a seat on the nearby bench.

"You feeling ok?" He started to dig.

"Yeah I'm fine" She sounded a little shocked actually as her cuts and bruises had healed already.

"Good, I swear you nearly gave me a heart attack" He attempted to add a tone of jesting into the words to mask how true they were.

Dean walked into the motel room they had been staying in whilst assisting Rebecca in clearing her brother's name.

"Kitkat! Babe?" He looked around the apartment. "Baby where are you?" He walked over to the bathroom and knocked the door. "Kat! You in there?" No answer. He took his phone out of his pocket; no missed calls or text. He dialled her number and the sound of Dude looks like a lady blasted from underneath the double bed. He bent down to pick it up and then he saw it. Her silver flick knife. Her uncle had given her that on the day of her first hunt; there is no way she would leave that lying around. As he pulled it from the darkness of the underside of the bed his face twisted into horror. Blood. "Shit!" He dialled Sam's number frantically almost dropping the phone. "Sam it's took Kat ... well she's not here and there's blood and-" He took a huge intake of breath. "Sam we gotta find her!" He hung up and angrily swiped his arm along the coffee table knocking the vase and ashtray onto the floor.

The Impala speed down the empty roads, the engines purrs filling the otherwise silent streets. Dean sat in the passenger seat with his head in his hands.

"Dean she's a hunter, she's smart, she'll be fine" Sam's smile was filled with certainty. He never really liked any of the women Dean associated with before but Kat was different; he knew that they had a lot in common. They had both lost people close to them and he could talk to her about things he could never tell Dean.

"It's my fault, he's walking around with my face ... if anything happens to her-" He shut his eyes tight.

"Dean, she's an amazing hunter, she could teach us a thing or two and that's saying something. Kat's specialty is vampires; vampires she's not gonna go down to a thing that's likes to play dress up ok?" Sam shouted the 'ok' to emphasise his point.

"If she ... if – I don't think I'll be able to forgive myself" He punched the dash board.

"You love her don't you?" Sam smiled excitedly.

"Look we don't have time for this Sam we gotta find her"

"Right, time to torch the sucker" Kat pulled an old silver lighter from her pocket. The Aerosmith logo filled the base; her uncle had got it for her. She didn't smoke but in this job it always comes in handy. Dean emerged from the grave and handed her a branch that lay on the ground. She lit the top of it and threw it into the open coffin. Jacob's body erupted in flames.

"Well I don't know about you but I'm starving?" Dean put his arm around Kat's shoulder.

"Yeah I could eat" She smiled and they began to walk back to the Impala. Kat's phone began to ring. "Hey Sammy ... we'll be right there" She hung up and joined Dean in the car. "It's Sam, the reverent he's been attacked by the hook man"

They arrived at the hospital and received directions to reverends room. They were stopped by two officers.

"It's alright were with him, he's my brother" Dean pointed at Sam. "Hey! Brother!" Sam turned from his conversation with the sheriff. Dean smiled and waved at him. Kat winked.

"Let them through" The sheriff gestured to his officers and the moved out of their way.

"Thanks boys" Kat smiled at them. "Sammy you ok?" Kat and Dean approached him.

"Yeah" He nodded and smiled weakly.

"What the hell happened?" Dean raised his eyebrows at Sam.

"Hook man" Sam looked around to make sure there were no innocent ears.

"You saw him?" Kat questioned.

"Damn right. Why didn't you torch the bones?" Sam snapped mainly at Dean but Kat wasn't going to let him off easy this time.

"We did, so are you sure you got the information right?" Kat's tone was harsh but nowhere near as bad as Dean's would have been if she didn't get in first.  
"It sure as hell looked like him. And that's not all. I don't think the spirit is latching on to the reverend" His tone had mellowed but it was obvious he had a little thing for the reverends daughter Lori.  
"Well, yeah, the guy wouldn't send the Hook Man after himself" Dean sat down on one of the many brown plastic chairs that lined the pure white hallway.  
"I think it's latching onto Lori" Kat looked up at Sam.

"Yeah me too, last night she found out her father is having an affair with a married woman" Sam sighed.  
"So what?" Dean stood up and walked over to the vending machine.

"So she's upset about it. She's upset about the immorality of it. She told me she was raised to believe that if you do something wrong, you get punished"  
"Ok, so she's conflicted. And the spirit of Preacher Karns is latching on to repress the emotions he's doing the punishing for her" Kat caught the chocolate bar that Dean had just purchased for her. She smiled at herself at the amazing reflexes she had just demonstrated; even Sam and Dean gave a look of admiration. "Rich comes on too strong, Taylor tries to make her into a party girl, Dad has an affair" She pulled open the wrapper and stuffed it into her pocket. "Thank you" She smiled at Dean.  
"Remind me not to piss this girl off. But we burned those bones; I buried them in salt why didn't that stop him?" Dean began to stuff the remained of his own chocolate into his mouth.

"Sweetie chew your food it's unattractive" Kat stuck her tongue out at him.

"Yeah well I don't complain when I have to watch you putting your contact lenses in do I?"

"What-?"  
"It's weird, touching your eyes, it's not natural babe" He shivered allowing her to see how much the thought of touching your eye freaks him out.

"Oh ok, I'll just walk around blind to make you feel better" she sarcastically replied whilst moving closer to him. He grabbed her around the waist and began to tickle her.

"Dean get off!" She laughed and struggled against his playful antics.

"Guys can we save the domestics till later?" Sam's words cause them to stop dead; Dean lowered her to the ground and she stopped laughing.

"You guys must have missed something" He threw himself down on the chair. Kat and Dean exchanged the look like two naughty school children waiting outside the head teacher's office. They both knew this was about Lori.

"No. I burned everything in that coffin" As soon as the words left Dean's mouth Kat realised.

"Babe the hook" She turned to him.

They sat in the library, Kat and Dean browsed the shelves. By browsing they were really hiding amongst the books waiting for Sam to do the hard work.

"Babe I'm sorry for the way Sam spoke to you earlier, I'll have a word with him. He can take it out on me"

"Dean he's upset; Lori is the first person he's ... you know since Jess. He's probably just feeling guilty"

"Guilty?" Dean did not know what she did. Sam had the chance to save Jess but didn't take it because the thought of confronting his past was too much for him to handle.

"Dean, Sam he, he's going through some things he needs his brother" Kat scanned the books with her finger.

"What? Do you know something I don't?" Dean took her hand from the book and turned her to face him. "Babe is there something I should know?" He looked into her eyes; he could always tell if she was lying.

"It's not my place to tell you ... but I'm sure than when he is ready to tell you he will" Kat wrapped her arms around his neck. "He needs you sweetie"

"Yeah well I-" He wanted to say "I need you" but the risk of losing another loved one was holding him back.

"Guys I – am I interrupted something?" Sam looked away embarrassed as Kat and Dean separated.

"No, no we were just ... what's up?" Dean placed his hand on Kat's back as they moved closer to Sam.

"The hook was melted down into something else" Kat and Dean raised his eyebrows as if to indicate they are listening and want to know the rest of the sentence but he just looked at them; blank.

"Into what sweetie?"

"I don't know" He sounded defeated.

"Well then there's only one thing for it" Dean smiled.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking sweetie?" Kat turned to Dean with a huge smirk on her face.

"Well babe if it involves breaking into the church and burning everything that's silver then yes" He returned her smirk.

"Destruction of property, we haven't done that I a while" Kat laughed.

"Right that's the last of it" Kat threw the remaining silver into the roaring fire.

"Come on let's go find lover boy" Her and Dean ran up the stairs to locate Sam and Lori. The sound of crashing and screaming filled the church.

"Get down!" Kat shot the Hook man just as he was about to attack Sam. Dean ran over and helped Lori up, he noticed her chain.

"Lori that cross where did you get it?" He looked over to Kat; she had her shotgun at the ready.

"My father gave it to me" she gripped the chain.

"Where'd your dad get it?" She looked up at Sam.

"He said it was a church heirloom, he gave it to me when I started school" Sam ripped it from her neck and threw it to Kat.  
"Dean" She threw the shotgun to him and began to run back to the basement. The hook man began to follow scraping the walls as he did.

"Dude that girl can run" Sam stood nursing his injured shoulder.

"Yeah she is fast" Dean shouted from down the corridor as he was in pursuit of the Hook man. Kat kicked the doors open and threw the cross into the fire. The hook man began to wither and melt.

Kat sat in the Impala, Dean was being interviewed by the sheriff and Sam was talking to Lori. Dean walked over and joined her in the front of the car.

"You alright?" He adjusted the mirror and looked at Sam and Lori.

"Yeah you?" Kat turned to see what he was looking at.

"Yeah I'm just wondering if he's gonna be" He gestured to Sam.

"Hey, he'll be fine; he's got us hasn't he?" She smiled as he put his arm around her and pulled her closer.

"Yeah he has" He kissed her forehead.

"We put the fun in dysfunctional"


	8. Chapter 8

"Read em' and weep boys" Kat laid down her hand on the table; ace high royal flush, hearts. The various men around the table all groaned in defeat. "Sorry boys, they don't call me the queen of hearts for nothing" She scooped in the pile of money that was now hers and stood up. She rolled it into a neat pile and tucked it under her red bra strap, underneath her black string top. "And that's kicking your ass boys" She waved to them all as she made her way back to the table Sam and Dean were sat on.

"That was incredible" Sam watched her as she took a seat next to him and began to count her money.

"Women's intuition Sammy" She winked.

"Yeah it's freaky, she does stuff like that all the time" Dean placed the drinks on the table.

"What can I say, it's a gift" She took a sip of her drink. "Found anything sweetie?" She gestured to the paper Sam was reading.

"Maybe. Oasis Plains, Oklahoma, not far from here. A gas company employee, Dustin Burwash, supposedly died from Creutzfeldt-Jakob"

"Huh?" Dean leaned closer.

"Human mad cow disease sweetie" Kat picked her drink up.

"Mad cow. Wasn't that on Oprah?" Dean's looked a little confused.

"You watch Oprah?" Sam smirked. Kat laughed and Dean opened his mouth to speak but couldn't think of any way possible to save himself from the embarrassment.

"So this guy eats a bad burger. Why is it our kind of thing?" Dean attempted to change the subject.

"You're so cute when your embarrassed sweetie" Kat pinched his cheek and wiggled it.

"Mad cow disease causes massive brain degeneration. It takes months, even years, for the damage to appear. But this guy, Dustin? Sounds like his brain disintegrated in about an hour. Maybe less" Sam placed the paper on the table.

"Okay, that's weird" Dean and Kat exchanged puzzled looks.

"Yeah. Now, it could be a disease. Or it could be somethin' much nastier" Sam raised his eyebrows.

"All right. Oklahoma" They got up and began to make their way to the Impala.

"Man. Work, work, work. No time to spend my money" Kat giggled as she took Dean's arm. They made their way across the car park and into the car.

"No way, you go down there" Kat pointed to the sinkhole that was the place of Dustin's death.

"Babe you're the smallest" Dean protested.

"I'm not small I'm fun sized" She placed her hands on her hips. Sam looked into the hole with a flashlight.

"If Travis was right, if it is mad cow then it must have happened pretty damn fast" Sam continued to circle the hole.

"So what you thinking Sammy, some sort of creature chewed on his brain?" Dean moved closer to have a better look.

"No babe, there'd be an entry wound. Sounds like this thing worked from the inside" Kat joined them by the side.

"Huh. Looks like there's only room for one. You wanna flip a coin?" Dean looked over to Sam he knew there was no way Kat would go down there. Apart from Johnny Depp obviously.

"Dean, we have no idea what's down there" Sam watched as Dean picked up a nearby coil of rope.

"All right, I'll go if you're scared. You scared?" Dean teased. Kat smirked.

"Flip the damn coin" Dean chuckled and took a coin out of his pocket.

"All right, call it in the air…chicken" He flipped the coin, Sam caught it in midair. He looked at the coin in his hand and sighed.

"I'm going" Sam turned and began to walk towards the hole.

"I said I'd go" Dean followed him.

"I'm going" Sam had a sulky tone to his voice.

"All right" Sam began to tie the rope around his waist.

"Don't drop me" Sam pointed at Dean.

"Don't worry sweetie I'll make sure he doesn't"

They sat in the Impala examining the findings of the hole.

"So you found some beetles. In a hole, in the ground. That's shocking, Sam" Kat laughed at Dean's remark.

"There were no tunnels, no tracks. No evidence of any other kind of creature down there. You know, some beetles do eat meat. Now, it's usually dead meat, but" He sighed.

"How many did you find down there sweetie?" Kat leaned closer to examine the dead beetle in Sam's hand.

"Ten"

"It'd take a whole lot more than that to eat out some dude's brain" Dean commented without removing his eyes from the road.

"Well, maybe there were more" Sam twisted the beetle in his hand.

"I don't know, it sounds like a stretch to me" Dean replied.

"Well, we need more information on the area, the neighbourhood. Whether something like this has ever happened before" Kat sat back into her seat. As they drove through town they passed a sign for an open house, decorated with red balloons.

"I know a good place to start" Dean gestured to another sign that read, "Models Open. New Buyers' BBQ Today!" I'm kinda hungry for a little barbeque, how 'bout you?" Sam and Kat gave him a knowing look. Knowing he wanted the BBQ.

"What, we can't talk to the locals?" Dean smiled at Kat.

"Sure sweetie and I'm sure the free food's got nothing to do with it?" She raised her eyebrow.

"Of course not. I'm a professional" He smiled.

"Right, whatever you say" They pulled over and got out of the car. They began walking down the street to the open house.

" Growin' up in a place like this would freak me out" Dean pulled a face indicating his dislike.

"Why?" Kat stopped to look at him.

"Well, manicured lawns, "How was your day, honey?" - I'd blow my brains out" He carried on walking. Kat raised her eyebrows but she would have to agree no matter how much tragedy she had experienced being a hunter she loved the adventure.

"There's nothing wrong with normal" Sam sighed obviously considering the life he could have been living right now.

"I'd take our family over normal any day" Dean approached the house and knocked on the door.

"Welcome" A middle aged man answered the door.

"This the barbeque?" Kat rolled her eyes at Dean's remark and Sam shook his head.

"Yeah, not the best weather, but…I'm Larry Pike, the developer here. And you are…?"

"Dean. This is Kat and Sam" They shook hands in turn.

"Kat, Sam, Dean, good to meet you. So, you are interested in Oasis Plains?

"Yes, sir. Me and my fiancé here are lookin' to settle down" Dean pulled Kat closer and wrapped his arm around her waist.

"And you are?" The developer looked over to Sam.

"I'm his brother"

" Great, great. Well, come on in" He gestured for them to follow him. He led them outside into the backyard. It was full of people walking around, chatting and eating.

Kat and Dean had been receiving a guided tour of the house from Larry and were finally heading back downstairs.

"You've got three choices, carpet, hardwood, and tile" Kat grabbed Dean's arm as she noticed a jar full of bugs on a nearby table.

"Whoa. Someone likes bugs" Dean had to reframe from laughing at Kat. A hunter whose speciality is vampires and she's scared of a few bugs.

"My son, he's into insects. He's very…inquisitive" Kat and Dean exchanged a glance. The tone of voice Larry used didn't quite convince them.

They made their way back outside in time to see Sam talking to a young boy.

"I am so sorry about my son and his…pet" Kat shuttered at the sight of the big black tarantula that was crawling all over Larry's son. Dean took Kat's hand and smiled at her.

"It's no bother" Sam smiled at him.

"Excuse us" Larry began to walk away with Matt.

"Remind you of somebody?" Dean looked over at Larry, he was yelling at Matt. Dean looked back at Sam, confused. "Dad? Dad never treated us like that"

"Well, Dad never treated you like that. You were perfect. He was all over my case. You don't remember?" Sam raised his eyebrow at Dean to emphasise his question.

"Well, maybe he had to raise his voice, but sometimes, you were out of line" Kat rolled her eyes at Dean's comment; she knew that this was going to escalate into a row.

"Right. Right, like when I said I'd rather play soccer than learn bow hunting"

"Bow hunting's an important skill" Dean looked down at Kat, she nodded half heartedly.

"Whatever. How was your tour?" He looked over to Kat.

"Oh, it was excellent. I'm ready to buy" Sam laughed at Dean.

"Sweetie, you might be onto something. Looks like Dustin Burwash wasn't the first strange death around here" Kat moved closer and lowered her voice.

"What happened?"

"About a year ago, before they broke ground, one of Larry's surveyors dropped dead while on the job. Severe allergic reaction to bee stings" Kat shut her eyes as she was attempting to remove the mental image of killer bees out of her head.

"More bugs" Sam looked over to Dean.

"More Bugs"

"Unfortunately" Kat frowned.

The three musketeers sat in the Impala, Kat was driving and Sam and Dean were conducting research.

"You know, I've heard of killer bees, but killer beetles? What is it that could make different bugs attack?" Dean flicked through their fathers journal.

"Well, hunting's sometimes include bug manifestations" Sam opened his laptop.

"Yeah, but we didn't see any evidence of ghost activity" Kat used the mirror to look at Sam.

"Yeah" He sighed.

"Maybe they're being controlled somehow. You know, by something or someone" Dean shut the journal.

"You mean, like Willard?" Sam raised his eyebrow.

"Yeah, bugs instead of rats"

"There are cases of psychic connections between people and animals, elementals, telepaths" Kat stopped at a red light.

"Yeah, that whole Timmy-Lassie thing" Dean suddenly realized. "Larry's kid, he's got bugs for pets"

"Matt?" Sam sounded sceptical.

"Yeah"

"He did try to scare the realtor with a tarantula" Sam's words made Kat shutter. Tarantula.

"You think he's our Willard?" Kat rolled down her window.

"I don't know. Anything's possible, I guess" Dean smirked at her reaction to the word tarantula.

"Ooh, hey. Pull over here" Kat slammed the breaks and pulled into an empty driveway of the Oasis Plains homes.

"What are we doing here?" Kat laughed at Sam's foolish comment; she knew exactly what Dean was planning.

"It's too late to talk to anybody else" Dean got out of the car.

"Sam sweetie we're gonna squat in an empty house. So that's another felony to add to the list. I swear Mr. Winchester you are a very bad influence on me" She winked at Dean.

"Yeah and you enjoy every minute of it" He smirked. She couldn't help but smile back at that gorgeous, sexy and very, very tempting smirk. "I wanna try the steam shower. Come on" Dean walked up to the garage door. Kat pulled the car into the garage, and Dean closed it.

Kat and Dean wondered around upstairs. Sam had said something about a police call on the scanner and a body being found a few blocks away before leaving them on their own.

"This place is huge" Kat looked around at the various statues and art works that decorated the walls.

"Yeah" Dean opened one of the white doors that led to the master bedroom. Kat walked over to look inside.

"Fancy" The rooms was white with an elegant black pattern decorating the boarder. A minimal finish with a few black knick knacks placed here and there. A king sized bed with satin sheets and more than enough pillows was the centre piece of the room. Kat ran over and jumped onto the bed. "Memory foam, I like it" She turned so that she was facing the ceiling. Dean stood leaning against the door frame, he smiled at her. "What?" She sat up to look at him.

"Nothing" He didn't want to say nothing what he really wanted to say was that she was the most beautiful, intelligent, sweet, kind, genuine, down to earth, and all round fantastic woman he had ever known. Unfortunately whatever killed his mother and Jessica was still out there and he wasn't going to lose Kat the same way.

"So I take it your claiming this bed" He walked over and sat down next to her.

"Yes I am" she rolled onto her side and leaned on her elbow. He kissed the top of her head and placed a strand of her dark hair behind her ear.

"Mind if I join you?" He raised his eye brow in a suggestive manor; he always covered his feeling for her with a joke. Truth was that he had shared a bed with her for so many months mostly because of the money but now he didn't feel right sleeping without her.

"Why break tradition?" She smiled. She felt safe with him; she could relax and forget about the horrors that she had seen.

"I'm gonna go try out this steam shower" He ruffled her hair and kissed her forehead before disappearing into the bathroom. Kat sighed, if only she was able to join him was the general and PG rated version of what ran through her mind. She stood up and removed her jacket; she threw it onto the pure white arm chair in the corner of the room. She removed her jewellery; her ring's, two pairs of earrings, her many bracelets and her silver cross. The only thing she never took off was her pentacle. It was a dull grey colour and hung on a thick black string; nothing to look at but in terms of sentiment it was priceless.

A young Kat and her boyfriend Jack sat in the living room of his apartment. Jack's dad was always away on business and so Kat would often stay over. They lay on the sofa; Kat rested her head on his chest as he played with her hair.

"Hey Kate, I got ya a little something" she looked up with excitement filling her face.

"For me?" He kissed her softy and caressed her face.

"Yeah" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a little black box. She looked up at him and smiled. He nodded as an indication that she should open it. She gently opened the box and smiled at the contents. "Do you like it?" He couldn't read her expression.

"Yeah ... what is it?" She giggled.

"It's a pentacle, it's a protection symbol" He brushed some of the hair out of her face.

"Ok, you believe in all that sort of stuff?" She took it out of the box.

"Maybe, it was my moms. My dad gave it to her on their first anniversary. You don't have to have it if you don't ... it was a stupid idea, I'm sorry" She stopped his rambling with a kiss.

"I love it, it's perfect" She put it around her neck. "Thank you"

"You're welcome"

Kat held the pentacle in her fist. She removed her jeans and climbed into bed. She turned on her side and pulled the covers over her. Her head had been killing her all day and she was exhausted. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. She woke up when she heard the bedroom door open; Dean came into the room with nothing but a towel on. Kat closed her eyes reluctantly and rolled over pretending to be asleep. Again the rolling over had nothing to do with getting a better view. She watched as he picked up his duffle bag and pulled out fresh clothes. Placing them on before removing the towel; unfortunately for Kat. He walked over to the bed and gently got in beside her. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her over to him. He kissed the back of her head and closed his eyes.

Kat's phone rang. She opened her eyes and squinted at the bright sun light that filled the room. She grabbed her phone and slide it up.

"Hey sweetie, what's going on?" Kat rubbed her eyes and smiled at the sound of Dean's voice.

"Hey babe, a lot actually you remember Lynda?"  
"The realtor?" She sat up and stretched her free arm above her head.

"Yeah, she's dead ... spider bites" Kat cringed at the idea. "Are you finished cringing?"

"... Yes. So I take it there's a point to this story?" Sometimes she hated the way he knew everything about her. He knew her better than she knew herself.

"Yeah me and Sammy found some 170 year old skeletons in an unmarked grave turned out to be from a Native American tribe"

"So what were dealing with a Native American curse?" Kat stood up and walked over to the window.

"Something like that"

"Ok that's not good" She observed the family playing in the yard of the house opposite. Kat smiled nostalgically.

"No, babe you still there?" He interrupted her train of thoughts.

"Yeah sorry, so what now?" She shut the curtain over and returned to the bed.

"Me and Sam are on our way to Larry's right now, I tried a fake call but they didn't buy it"

"Right well I'll meet you there" Kat stood up again.

"Are you sure, cause there's gonna be a lot of bugs" Kat cringed.

"... yeah .. I wanna help you guys ... I'll be fine. I'll see you in a bit"

"Right see you later" She hung up and turned to face herself in the floor length mirror.

"I'll be fine, there just bugs, tiny, little, creepy, crawly, vile, biting, flying, scurrying, evil monsters" She shivered.

Kat got dressed, simple black jeans and a Rolling Stones t-shirt complete with the jacket she commandeered from Dean.

"I fight vampires, I hunt vampires ... bugs are nothing, nothing at all ..." Kat continued her prep talk all the way to the street that Larry's house was on. She could make out the vague shapes of the boys and the family on the lawn. It had gotten dark, Kat hadn't realised how late she had slept but then they didn't break in to the show house until after midnight. She ran over and joined the group in the middle of an argument.

"Dad, they're right, okay? We're in danger" Kat smiled at Dean.

"Matt, get inside! Now! Oh the fiancé has joined us now" He gestured to Kat. Before Kat could give answer Matt grew a back bone.

"No! Why won't you listen to me?!"

"Because this is crazy! It doesn't make any sense!" Kat looked over to Dean who shook his head in an 'I'll tell you later' mannor.

"Look, this land is cursed! People have died here. Now, are you gonna really take that risk with your family?" Sam stepped forward, closer to Larry. Kat grabbed Dean's arm. She could hear it. Dean stopped and looked over at her.

"Babe what is it?" He turned her to face him.

"You can't hear that?" She began to panic. The buzzing noise began to get louder and louder as it approached them.

"How did you hear that?" Sam began his question but it never received an answer as the fluorescent light on the porch began to overheat from the several bugs that it was killing.

"All right, it's time to go. Larry, get your wife" Sam shouted his instructions as Dean pulled Kat closer.

"Guys" Matt pointed to the sky; millions of bugs began to fly towards the house, blanketing the sky.

"Oh shit-ake mushrooms" Kat tightened her grip on Dean.

"We'll never make it" Sam looked over to Dean.

"Everybody in the house. Everybody in the house, go!" They rushed inside the house and locked the door. Kat ran up the stairs.

"Windows" She shouted as she ran up the stairs. She was an incredibly fast runner. She ran into the bedroom and slammed the large window shut as a swarm of bees continued to approach the house. She checked for any other way they may find to get in and then returned to the group.

"Bug spray?" She raised her eyebrow at Dean who was standing holding the can.

"Trust me" He winked and she nodded and caught the can that he threw to her. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her lighter. They all froze as a creaking noise filled the room.

"What is that?" Matt's voice filled with panic.

"The flue" Sam looked over to Dean.

"All right, I think everybody needs to get upstairs" As the words left his lips hundreds of thousands of bugs flew into the living room, swarming all around them. They began to scream and try to protect themselves but it was useless. Kat and Dean used their lighters along with the cans of bug spray creating a flame deflecting the bugs. "All right, everybody upstairs! Now! Go, go, go!" They run into the attic and Sam slammed the door shut. They all stopped to catch their breath but the sense of relief was short lived. Sawdust began to fall from the ceiling. The buzz of the bee's got louder.

"Oh, God, what's that?" Jonan; Larry's wife began to panic.

"Dean, something's eating through the wood" Kat gestured to the roof.

"Termites" Matt's knowledge of bugs unnerved Kat.

"All right, everybody get back. Get back, get back, get back!" Dean ushered them out the way. The bugs had chewed a hole through the ceiling and began to swarm around the attic. Sam and Dean frantically attempted to patch up the hole in the ceiling. They stopped. After a few sighs of relief again it was cut short as two more holes were then chewed. Kat moved from her position in front of the Pike family to Dean's side. They attempted to ward them off with bug spray, it was a futile attempt. The five of them retreated into the corner, trying desperately to swat the bugs away. Suddenly, the sun rose filling the attic with its warm rays of light. .T he bugs started to leave through the hole in the ceiling. The three of them exchange confused all be it relieved looks and move cautiously towards the holes to see what has happened. The bugs swarmed in the clear blue sky, nearing the sun.

"Well I don't know about you guys but I think I'm traumatised" Kat sighed and Dean pulled her into his arms, attempting to contain his laughter.


	9. Chapter 9

"Sam, Sam!" Kat began to run into the lounge of the Winchesters old house. Adrenaline kicked in as Sam's life hung in the balance. Dean was otherwise occupied; he had his own problems.

"Sam!" His face replaced the axe that had just trashed the double doors blocking his path.

"Here's Johnny style" Kat smirked as they meet in the centre.

"I knew you'd like it" He winked and they began to run towards the kitchen. Sam was the reason they came back here in the first place.

Kat sat on the bed of their current motel; she was painting her nails black as per usual. Dean was sat on the bed next to her on the laptop. Sam was sitting on his bed drawing on a piece of paper with concentration plastered on his face. Kat sighed as she twisted the lid back onto the bottle and threw it into her duffle bag. She then rested her head on Dean's shoulder; he kissed the top of her head.

"Found anything sweetie?"

"Yeah maybe, a fishing trawler found off the coast of Cali its crew vanished. And, uh, we got some cattle mutilations in West Texas" He looked over to Sam; he was engrossed in his drawing. "Hey!" Sam looked up from his drawing. "Am I boring you with this hunting evil stuff?" Dean raised his eyebrow at him.

"No. I'm listening. Keep going" He was still concentrating on his drawing.

"And, here, a Sacramento man shot himself in the head. Three times" Kat got up and walked over to Sam. She looked down at his drawing.

"That's a nice ... tree" She smiled at him. Kat new things about Sam that Dean didn't and they had gone through the same type of situations. She knew how it felt to blame yourself for the death of someone you loved. Sam smiled back at her and then the realisation kicked in.

"Wait. I've seen this" He pointed at the tree.

"Seen what?" Dean questioned, Sam got up from the bed and began searching through his bag. "What are you doing?" Sam pulled out a photo of their family from when he was a baby. He compared the photo to his drawing.

"Guy's, I know where we have to go next" Kat extended her hand out and nodded, he handed them to her.

"Where?" Dean sat up as Kat walked over to show him the photo and Sam's drawing.

"Back home, back to Kansas" He smiled as the torment of not knowing was lifted from his shoulders.

"Okay, random. Where'd that come from?" Dean stood up. Kat sat down this was one of those family arguments that she did not want to get involved in no matter whose side she was on.

"All right, um, this photo was taken in front of our old house, right? The house where Mom died?" Sam pointed at it.

"Yeah" Dean clearly didn't see the point of this conversation.

"And it didn't burn down, right? I mean, not completely, they rebuilt it, right?"

"I guess so, yeah. What the hell are you talkin' about?" Dean looked from Sam to Kat.

"Okay, look, this is gonna sound crazy but….the people who live in our old house ..."

"Sammy, its fine you can tell us anything" Kat reassuringly smiled at him.

"I, I think they might be in danger" He half heartedly smiled.

"Why would you think that sweetie?" Kat stood up and stepped closer to Sam.

"Uh…it's just, um….look, just trust me on this, okay?" He turned back to his bed and began to rummage through his duffle bag. Kat raised her eyebrows at Dean; The 'tell him you trust him now before I punch you in the face' look.

"Wait, whoa, whoa, trust you?" Dean took a few steps closer to him.

"Sammy, I trust you implicitly. I'm in" She smiled at him.

"Yeah" Sam smile at her and looked over to Dean.

"Come on, man, that's weak. You gotta give me a little bit more than that" Dean shrugged.

"I can't really explain it is all" Sam shut his eyes and put his head in his hands.

"Well, tough. I'm not goin' anywhere until you do" Kat sighed at his childish comment.

"Sammy, it's ok. Whatever it is you can trust us. You know you can" Kat was obviously referring to the fact that she knew that he had nightmares of Jessica's death and he blamed himself. As soon as the thought entered her head she knew exactly what had happened.

"Nightmares?" She whispered the words to him. He nodded. "Oh sweetie" She opened her arms and he wrapped his around her. She was the one person he could really talk to and he knew she wouldn't judge or over react like Dean would. Dean felt a sting of jealously run through him.

"Sammy, we could tie him up and steal the Impala but I don't think it would take him long to escape and then since he already knows where were going he'd hunt us down and kill us for stealing his baby. I think you should be honest with him" She smiled at him. Reassuring and sweet. He turned to Dean, his gaze was fixed on Kat and he didn't look happy.

"I have these nightmares" Sam began, Dean interrupted.

"I've noticed" Kat frowned at him.

"Dean, let him finish, go on sweetie"

"And sometimes….they come true" Sam sighed, a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

"Come again?" Dean looked from Sam to Kat.

"Look, Dean….I dreamt about Jessica's death - for days before it happened"

"You knew about this?" He pointed to Kat.

"Yes" Her stormy eyes were filled with innocents and as far as she was concerned she was. Sam begged her not to tell Dean and she promised she wouldn't. Kat kept her promises.

"For how long?" He looked more hurt than angry.

"Since bloody Marry" She kept her eye contact with him, he looked away.

" ... Sam, people have weird dreams, man. I'm sure it's just a coincidence" He sat down on the bed.

"No, I dreamt about the blood dripping, her on the ceiling, the fire, everything, and I didn't do anything about it 'cause I didn't believe it. And now I'm dreaming about that tree, about our house, and about some woman inside screaming for help. I mean, that's where it all started, man, this has to mean something, right?" He raised his eyebrows and held his hands in the air. Dean looked overwhelmed. Not only was his brother confessing to having strange visions and Kat had lied to him.

"I don't know Sammy but I think we should go" Kat stood up from Sam's bed.

"Dean, this woman might be in danger. I mean, this might even be the thing that killed Mom and Jessica!" Sam sighed and slammed down onto the bed.

"All right, just slow down, would ya?" He stood up and began pacing the room. "I mean, first you tell me that you've got the Shining? And then you tell me that I've gotta go back home? Especially when…."

"When what sweetie?" Kat placed her hand on his shoulder.

"When I swore to myself that I would never go back there?" Kat opened her mouth to say something but she had no idea what to say.

"Look, Dean, we have to check this out. Just to make sure" Sam pleaded with him.

"I know we do" Dean sighed.

Dean ushered Kat into the hall way. He sighed nostalgically. They where no closer to finding John and it was starting to hit home. Apart from the text this morning they had not heard from John for a very long time.

They sat on the hood of the Impala, discussing the case. After an emotional tale of Dean carrying Sam out of the burning house on that tragic night Kat decided to give them some privacy. Hoping foolishly they would have a bonding moment.

"I'm gonna go the bathroom" She began to walk away, she played with her pentacle as she became lost in thought.

"Does this feel like just another job to you?" Sam watched as Kat walked away.

"I'll be right back. I gotta go to the bathroom too" He followed Kat's path. After he turned the corner, he stood next to the bathroom door and took out his cell phone. After making sure no one could see him, he dialled his father's number. Kat finished washing her hands and stepped over to the door. The window over the top had been broken and she could hear someone outside.

"Dad?" It was Dean. "I know I've left you messages before. I don't even know if you'll get 'em. But were with Sam. And we're in Lawrence. And there's somethin' in our old house. I don't know if it's the thing that killed Mom or not, but…." His voice broke. He paused, barely keeping himself together. " ... I don't know what to do" He began to cry. "So, whatever you're doin', if you could get here. Please. I need your help, Dad" Kat's eyes welled with tears. She opened the door and threw her arms around him. "Were going to be fine" She reassuringly said into his ear and kissed the side of his cheek. "I'm sorry about Sam" He moved away so that he could look her into her eyes. He kept her hands in his.

"Its fine" He kissed her hand.

"I just, I overheard Marry talking to him and he begged me not to tell you. It wasn't my place to tell you" She smiled as he wiped away her tears with the pads of his thumbs.

"I know. I'm just ... I'm worried about him" He wiped his own tears with his sleeve, keeping one hand on her waist.

"He'll be fine, he's got us right?" Kat smiled. "Remember we put the fun in dysfunctional"

"Yeah ..." They returned to the car hand in hand.

"Guys you alright?" Kat was very pale and it was easy to tell she had been crying from the red blotches that now adorned her face.

"Yeah I'm fine" She smiled at him and he could tell it was genuine.

"Guys why don't you go check out the leads, I think I'm gonna go check into the motel and call Uncle Danny" She removed her hand from Dean's.

"You want me to go with you or ...?" Dean turned to face her.

"No I'm fine go with your brother" She nodded towards Sam. He kissed her forehead and she began to head over to the motel they had just passed on the way.

Kat checked in and sat on her bed. She felt as though this case was Sam and Dean's. She obviously wanted to help but she wasn't sure if it was her place to interfere. She picked up her phone and dialled her uncle's number.

"Hey Uncle Danny"

"Kat. Where the hell have you been! Why haven't you called for weeks?"

"Hey, Uncle Danny I'm fine, were fine, it's fine" She protested.

"Why haven't you called?" His tone was more curious then angry.

"Well we've got a lot going on at the moment" She sighed.

"We? You and Dean?" Kat didn't like the tone he used to ask the question.

"No, me, Dean and Sam. Ok ... look it's been months since they last heard from John and I think their starting to worry now. Really worry" She knew Dean was having a hard time and Sam was busy dealing with his own problems.

"What happened to your finding Luther?" Although it hit Kat hard she knew he didn't mean it in a malicious way.

"Sam and Dean they ... they need me" She smiled. It's nice to be needed.

"I'm glad to hear that" He sounded relieved.

"What? I thought that you -" She was shocked she knew he knew how much finding Luther meant to her but after she meet Dean she realised that he needed her more.

"Hunting alone, babe I don't want you to wake up one morning and realise that you're alone. I won't be around forever" He had been thinking about that a lot lately; he wasn't getting any younger.

"So does this mean you approve of Dean?" Excitement filled her voice as she decided that she would ignore the depressing thought of the last blood relative she has passing away.

"Yeah, I know he'll look after you after I'm gone" He knew Dean was the perfect person to protect her not that she needed protecting but he had a strong sense of family loyalty.

"Danny don't talk like that. Your gonna be around for a long time, who else is going to ..."

"Dean and Sam are exactly what you need. I think I need to meet him though give him the 'What are your intention's routine' " He sounded happy to play the father figure as he had done for many years.

"Well were not exactly ... dating" She didn't really want to tell him about what the shape shifter told her. He'd flip if he knew about the whole kidnapping situation.

"Well what are you doing?" He thought about the phrasing of his sentence and realised what the connotations to it were. "You know what I don't wanna know"

"Nothing! Nothing like that, were, he ... its complicated"

"Well as long as you're happy I'm happy"

"Thank you"

"I gotta go babe, I'll call you later"

"Ok love you"

"I love you too"

Missouri ran into the living room.

"Where's Sam?" Kat was strangely faster than Dean and had carried on over to the locked doors that led to the kitchen.

"Through there" She gestured to the door that Kat had attempted to open a moment ago. Kat took a step back and kicked the door sending the panel flying. Dean raised an eye brow but smiled and continued running. Missouri was now even more suspicious of Kat then she was before.

They sat in the living room of Missouri a friend of John's and a local psychic.

"All right, there. Don't you worry 'bout a thing. Your wife is crazy about you" She closed the front door behind her client and turned to the three of them. "Whew. Poor bastard. His woman is cold-bangin' the gardener" Kat burst out laughing.

"Why didn't you tell him?" Dean sounded a little ticked off.

"People don't come here for the truth. They come for good news" They continue to stare at her. "Well? Sam and Dean, come on already, I ain't got all day" She left the room. They exchanged a confused look and followed her into the next room. Kat remained seated.

"She didn't tell me to follow her, go" She gestured to Dean to follow Sam who had already eagerly disappeared into the next room. After a few minutes Missouri appeared at the door.

"Honey would you get in here already, don't keep me waitin'" Sam and Dean were sitting on her couch, Kat sat in the arm chair opposite.

"Boy, you put your foot on my coffee table, I'm 'a whack you with a spoon!" She directed the rage at Dean.

"I didn't do anything" He attempted to defend himself but it was futile.

"But you were thinkin' about it" Kat was attempting not to laugh when Missouri turned to her. "You, what's your name honey?"

"It's Kat" That wasn't her original name but after everyone she loved was dead and a fresh start was her only option she decided a new name was appropriate. Katie was dead, Kat was angry.

"You are very interesting child" She gestured for Kat's hand. She complied.

"Oh yeah, why's that" She looked her up and down. Beautiful and deadly.

"Cuz I can't see anything about you, at all" Kat frowned.

"What?" She shook her head.

"It's like you have some sort of barrier or ... I have never been unable to read a person before" And Kat could tell by her tone that she didn't like it.

"Well what can I say; I'm a freak" And no more was said on the matter; they had bigger problems.

Kat ran into the kitchen. Pushing the rest of the door out of her way. The figure made of fire that had been petrifying the little girl occupying Sam's old room approached Sam. He had been trapped against the wall. Dean raised his shotgun.

"No, don't Dean" Sam protested.

"Sweetie what's wrong?" Kat shouted from behind Dean.

"Because I know who it is. I can see her now" Sam sounded happy. Kat and Dean exchanged puzzled looks. Suddenly, the fire vanished. Standing in front of them was Mary Winchester. Dean's expression softened. He was clearly in shock, he lowered his gun slowly.

"Mom?" Dean questioned her softly. Kat's heart ached. He sounded so happy. Mary smiled and stepped closer to him.

"Dean" Tears had formed in Dean's eyes. Kat smiled as her own tears flowed down her face. Mary walked away from them and approached Sam. Dean never took his eyes off her.

"Sam" Marry smiled. Sam smiles weakly back at her, crying. His mother's smile faded. "I'm sorry" Kat wondered as to what she was apologising for but she figured it was a family matter.

"For what?" She looked at Sam sadness in her eyes, but she said nothing. She turned and looked straight at Kat.

"Look after my boy's"

"I promise" Kat smiled widely. Mary nodded and looked up at the ceiling.

"You get out of my house. And let go of my son" Once again, she burst into flames. She became entirely engulfed, the fire reached the ceiling and then it disappeared. The force holding Sam to the wall was released. Sam and Dean exchange stunned glances.

"It's over" Kay sighed disrupting the silence.

The next morning Kat and Dean stood by the Impala looking through the box of old photos Jenny had found in her basement.

"You were so cute as a child, what happened?" Kat playfully mocked Dean. He smirked and placed the box on the hood. She attempted to appeal to his kind nature but it was no use. He grabbed her and pulled her into his arms. He tickled her sides. "Dean, I'm sorry – sorry. Let me go" She giggled as she squirmed against his playful yet firm grip.

"Who's adorable?" He spoke into her ear. She leaned back into his chest.

"You are" She grabbed his arms that were around her waist.

"I can't quite hear you" He continued to tickle her.

"You!" She felt his grip loosen, she turned to face him; he moved his hands onto her shoulders. He kissed her forehead.

"You're not so bad yourself" They smiled at one another. She wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Your mom's beautiful" She spoke softly into his ear. They never really spoke about his mother; she knew how much he loved her.

"Yeah ... she liked you" He moved his head away from its place on her shoulder. He looked down at her.

"How could you tell?" She smiled, she felt honoured.

"She asked you to take care of her boy's" He weakly returned her smile.

"I'll do my best"


	10. Chapter 10

Kat sat in the Impala. Previously that morning they had received a text message containing coordinates to Rockford, Illinois. They concluded the message was from John as there had been a case involving a cop shooting his wife before turning the gun on himself after responding to a call at the Roosevelt Asylum. Such asylum has been highlighted in John's journal. After heated debate between the brothers it was decided that John wanted them to work this case. Dean obviously won. Sam and Dean had gone into the local bar to gather some extra information on the case. Dean appeared at the door; the plan was going accordingly. Dean would pretend to be a reporter and harass the officer and Sam would tell him to have some respect and throw him out. In turn lulling the officer into a false sense of security ergo telling Sam everything they needed to know.

"Hey, miss me?" Dean joined her in the car.

"Of course, I assume everything's running smoothly?" Kat shifted in the driver seat to face Dean.

"Yeah the ass kiss-ery stage is in progress" He put his hands behind his head and relaxed into the seat. Kat shifted over to rest her head on his chest. He put his arms around her. "You tired babe?"

"Yeah, a little" She snuggled closer to him. He smiled. He loved it how they could just lie there together. Forget all his troubles and responsibilities. Nothing else mattered except her. He wasn't the first person to feel this way about her.

"Katie, Katie sweetie" Jack gently shook her awake. She was lying on his chest on his couch. The plan was to watch some scary movies but Jack protested, he insisted on something happier.

"That's how good the movie was" Kat yawned and stretched.

"Come on it's getting late I'll walk you home" He kissed her and rested his head on top of hers.

" Trying to get rid of me?" She began kissing his neck, he against his better instincts tilted his head back allowing her better access. She continued upwards until she reached his ear, playfully she began to nibble on it causing him to moan. She giggled.

"I love you" He cupped her face in his hands.

"I love you too" They heard the front door open and they immediately sat up. Jack stood up and moved in front of her and took a defensive stance.

"Jack!" Jack's father came through the door. His arm was pouring with blood.

"Dad!" Jack ran over to him. Kat stared at the deep red liquid falling onto the cream carpet. The smell and sight was too much for her. She fainted.

Her eyes opened and she was lying on her own bed. She sat up and walked over to the phone. She dialled Jack's number. No answer. She walked down the stairs running her hands down the banister.

"Baby are you ok?" Her father came over and gave her a hug. He kissed her forehead.

"Yeah, I just saw the blood and I, I passed out"

"His arm was cut up pretty bad, he fell on some shattered glass on his way home from work"

"He fell on some glass?" Kat didn't buy it.

"It was dark he lost his footing and he fell" He walked into the kitchen.

"Yeah right" She said it more to herself than to him.  
"Want a cup of tea?"

"Yes please"

Sam got into the car.

"So, Walter Kelly was a good cop. Head of his class, even-keeled. He had a bright future ahead of him." Kat sat up and she and Dean turned to face Sam in the backseat.

"What about at home?" Dean ran his hand up and down Kat's back. He stroked the bare flesh that her black rolling stone shirt exposed. She shivered at his touch; she always blamed it on his cold hands. He didn't have cold hands.

"He and his wife had a few fights, like everybody, but it was mostly smooth sailing. They were even talking about having kids" Kat leaned into Dean.

"All right, so, either Kelly had some deep-seated crazy way to bust out, or somethin' else did it to him" Dean wrapped his arm around Kat. She rested her head on his shoulder.

"Right. What'd Gunderson tell you about the asylum?" Sam smiled at Kat's question.

"A lot"

They approached the south wing of the Roosevelt asylum where the cops had chased the kids a few nights ago. Chains hung from the doors.

"Looks like the doors are usually chained. Could have been chained up for years" Sam held the flash light on the door handle.

"Yeah, to keep people out – or to keep something in" Kat pushed the door and it swung open. They exchanged curious glances. Dean carried his home made EMF detector as they began to search the various hallways.

" Let me know if you see any dead people, Haley Joel" Dean mocked Sam and Kat couldn't help but laugh.

"Dean, sweetie leave it" Dean chuckled.

"No, I'm serious, you've gotta be careful, all right? Ghosts are attracted to that whole ESP thing you've got goin' on"

"I told you, it's not ESP. I just have strange vibes sometimes, weird dreams"

"Yeah, whatever. Don't ask, don't tell"

"You said yourself Kat had excellent intuition"

"Yeah but she's not claiming to see dead people"

"Dean enough, you getting a reading or not?" Kat didn't like this place and wanted to leave it as soon as possible.

"Nope. Of course, it doesn't mean nobody's home" Dean smiled at her. She couldn't stay angry at him.

"Spirits can appear during certain hours of the day" Sam continued.

"And the freaks come out at night" Kat looked around at the derelict building.

"Yeah" Sam continued.

"Hey, Sam, who do you think is a hotter psychic – Patricia Arquette, Jennifer Love Hewitt, or you?" Kat hit Dean as he began to laugh hysterically.

"Stop it" She attempted to be serious but watching him laugh made her want to laugh too.

They entered another room in the south wing. On several tables stood jars preserving body parts. Several other tools used in the asylum were scattered around the room.

"Electroshock, lobotomies – they did some twisted stuff to these people." Kat shivered as she observed her surroundings.

"Kind of like my man, Jack in Cuckoo's Nest" Dean grinned wickedly, Sam rolled his eyes. Dean's smile faded.

"So, what do you think? Ghosts are possessing people?" Dean questioned them both.

"Maybe. Or maybe it's more like Amityville or the Smurl haunting" Kat moved closer to the boy's she didn't like this place.

"Yeah, spirits drivin' 'em insane. Kind of like my man Jack in The Shining" Sam still didn't lighten up. Always so serious.

"Dean…when are we gonna talk about it?" Sam stopped and turned to face Dean.

"Talk about what?" He looked over to Kat.

"About the fact that Dad's not here" Sam sounded like a teenage girl when he used that tone.

"Oh, uh, let's see, never" Dean walked past him. Kat stayed where she was. Not getting involved was the plan and it had worked so far.

" I'm being serious, man" She pretended she wasn't listening and began to examine random objects around the room.

"So am I, Sam. Look, he sent us here, he obviously wants us here. We'll just have to pick up the search later" Kat noticed a plaque on the wall.

"It doesn't matter what he wants" Sam began to get increasingly angry.

"See, that attitude right there? That is why I always get the extra cookie" Dean smirked.

"Dad could be in trouble. We should be looking for him. We deserve some answers, Dean, I mean, this is our family we're talkin' about"

"I understand that, Sam. But he's given us an order" Kat sighed another reason she disliked John.

"So, what? We've got to always follow Dad's orders?" Kat was cheering Sam on in her mind.

" Of course we do" Sam gave him an annoyed look, but they continued to look around regardless of the spat.

"Hey guy's" Kat pointed to her discovery "Chief of Staff. Sanford Ellicott, M.D. Sanford Ellicott. Looks like we need to find out if something happened in the south wing. She handed the plaque to Dean and left the room. The boy's exchanged confused glances.

Kat and Dean sat in the Impala outside the Creekview medical centre, Sam had an appointment with a psychiatrist; A doctor James Ellicott. Kat sat in the passenger seat, she was quiet and this was unusual for her.

"What's a matter?" Dean couldn't take it anymore.

"Nothing" She didn't even turn to face him.

"Kat, baby what's wrong? And don't say nothing. I know you. Something's wrong"

"It's nothing ... it's, I ... I don't like it when you guy's fight ok!" Dean was shocked by her answer he expected it to be period pains.

"What?"

"You guys are family and Sam's your little brother"

"And what are you getting at?"

"He's upset, he's going through a rough patch I just think you should be a bit more considerate"

"So I'm in the wrong?" He sounded hurt.

"No sweetie I didn't mean it like that I just, - he wants answers and revenge. He isn't going to move on until he gets them" She sighed.

"And I'm the bad guy because?" He raised his eyebrow at her.

"You're not the bad guy sweetie, you're just scared because you don't understand" She wished she had kept her mouth shut.

"I don't understand! Yeah cause I didn't lose my mother either!"

"NO! Don't twist my words" Her beautiful features twisted into anger.

"Ok then what do I not understand?" He shrugged.

"He has not only lost his mother, he's lost the love of his life. Plus he's going through some ... issues with his ... visions-" She struggled to chose her words carefully as to not start Dean off again.

"There not visions!" Too late.

"Oh yeah right, I forgot you know everything" She turned to look out the window.

"It was a coincidence ok! Nothing more ... and what do you mean I know everything?" He had never had a row with her before and he wasn't ready for it.

"Have you even talked to him about it?" She returned her voice to its normal melodically tone and folded her arms.

"I ... yeah of course I have" He knew that he hadn't.

"No I mean without the jokes and the sarcasm" She raised her eyebrows at him; she knew he was lying.

"You're lecturing me about sarcasm?" He returned her facial expression.

"See your doing it again" She gestured to him.

"What?" He sounded defensive.

"You're avoiding the situation by brushing it aside with a joke. Sweetie I know you do that because it's what you had to do. You have been responsible for Sam for most of his life and I know how much you love him, I do too; he's a great guy. You just need to show him how much you care and help him because the longer he focuses on revenge the more of himself he's going to lose" She knew from personal experience of the way John was that he was consumed by revenge and she didn't want Sam or Dean to become their father. Before Dean could respond Sam opened the back door and got in.

"South wing, that's where they housed the real hard cases; the psychotics, the criminally insane. One night in '64, they rioted, attacked staff, attacked each other"

"So the patients took over the asylum?" Kat turned to face Sam and ignore Dean.

"Apparently" He nodded and looked over to Dean, he could tell something was wrong between them.

"Any deaths?" She continued.

"Some patients, some staff. I guess it was pretty gory. Some of the bodies were never even recovered, including our Chief of Staff, Ellicott"

"never recovered" sounds ominous" Kat continued to stare out the window.

"Cops scoured every inch of the place, but I guess the patients must have…stuffed the bodies somewhere hidden" Sam looked over to Dean.

"Oh, that's grim" Dean didn't sound very interested.

"Yeah. So, they transferred all the surviving patients and shut down the hospital for good"

"All right, so, to sum it up, we've got a bunch of violent deaths and a bunch of unrecovered bodies.

"Which could mean a bunch of angry spirits" Kat finished his sentence. "Oh, good times. Let's check out the hospital tonight" They pulled away in silence.

"Let's split up" Kat stood in front of the two teenagers that they had discovered hiding in the abandoned asylum. It had revealed that the patients were not trying to hurt anyone but simply warn them about something.

"I don't think that's a good idea" Sam looked over to Dean; him and Kat were still giving one another the silent treatment.

"Sam I'm a big girl. I'll look after these guys you go find us a way out" Kat cocked the shotgun. The boys left and Kat stood in a defensive position in front of the kids, with the shotgun ready at the first sign of danger. After a long period of silence and not one single sign of a vengeful spirit Kat's phone rang.

"Dean?" Her tone was that of a child who had been told off buy their parents.

"Babe, it's me. I see it. It's comin' at me" He sounded worried and panicked.

"Dean! Where are you sweetie?" Kat forgot that she was mad at him.

"I'm in the basement. Hurry please"

" I'm on my way" She turned to face the teenagers. "Can either of you handle a shotgun?"

"What? No!" Gavin began to panic.

"I can. My dad took me skeet shooting a couple times" His girlfriend smiled at Kat.

"All right sweetie, here. it's loaded with rock salt. Now, it might not kill a spirit, but it'll repel it. So if you see something, shoot" She nodded and Kat began to sprint to the basement. By the time she arrived the sound of Sam and Dean arguing filled the otherwise empty hall.

"Sam, put the gun down" Dean's voice sounded worried and slightly amused.

"Is that an order?" Sam's was harsh with a hint of boredom.

" No, it's more of a friendly request" Kat moved closer to the door from which the argument was coming from.

"'Cause I'm gettin' pretty tired of takin' your orders" She knew there was no way that she could enter without being noticed.

"I knew it. Ellicott did somethin' to you, didn't he? Where's Kat?" A school girl smile flashed across Kat's face. No matter how mad he was at her, he could never stop caring about her.

" For once in your life, just shut your mouth!" Sam's rage was apparent and it frightened Kat.

"If you've hurt her I swear -"

"Shut up!"

" What are you gonna do, Sam? The gun's filled with rock salt. Not gonna kill me" The sound of a gun shoot startled Kat.

"No. But it'll hurt like hell" Sam sounded smug.

"Sam! We gotta burn Ellicott's bones, and all this'll be over. You'll be back to normal" Dean's voice was filled with pain.

I amnormal. I'm just tellin' the truth for the first time. I mean, why are we even here? Because you're following Dad's orders like a good little soldier? 'Cause you always do what he says without question? Are you that desperate for his approval? And the worst part is you dragged Kat into it too. She can't stand the man but for some bizarre reason she goes along with it for you. A beautiful girl like that she deserves a better life, a normal life we all do"

"This isn't you talking, Sam"

"That's the difference between you and me and her. We have minds of our own. Were not pathetic like you"

"So what are you gonna do, huh? You gonna kill me? What about Kat?" His tone implied that he knew Sam didn't have it in him to kill anyone.

"You know what? I am sick of doing what you tell me to do. We're no closer to finding Dad today than we were six months ago and you're the only one who can't see it" Sam became increasingly angry.

"Well, then, here. Let me make it easier for you. Go on. Take it. Real bullets are gonna work a hell of a lot better than rock salt. Take it!" Kat began to panic but could not find the opportune moment to interject. She assumed Dean had handed Sam a real gun. "You hate me that much? You think you could kill your own brother? Then go ahead. Pull the trigger" "Do it! ... Man, I'm not gonna give you a loaded pistol ... Sorry, Sammy" Kat kicked the door down; Sam was lying on the floor unconscious. Kat ran straight into Dean's arms.

"Oh my god I was so worried about you" She wrapped her arms around him as he kissed her forehead.

"I'm sorry" He pulled away and looked down at her. They smiled at one another.

"Me too" He pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head. Dean Winchester apologising; it must be love.

"I'm gonna go head back to the kids, will you be ok?" She knelt down to check if Sam was ok, a few bruises but nothing serious. She picked up the shotgun.

"Yeah go ahead I'll finish up here and meet you back at the exit"

"Ok" She ran back out of the door and began to return to the kids. She reached the corner. "Guy's it's me Kat don't shoot"

"Hey" They both sounded relieved that she was back.

"Can I ask you a question?" The young girl caught Kat off guard, she didn't expect them to be making small talk in this situation.

"Err ... sure"

"How did you ... get in to all this?"

"It's the family business"

"So those guys are your family?"

"Yeah sort of were not related but ... you know what it's a very long and weird story"

"Right say no more" The lights began to flicker followed by a scream of pain; Dean.

"Stay here!" Kat shouted back to them as she bolted down the corridor. She returned to the basement in time to witness Dr. Ellicott burning into a pile of ash on top of Dean. Sam stirred and sat up clutching his head.

"You're not gonna try to kill me, are you?" Dean sat up and brushed the remains of the doctor off of him.

"No" Sam looked confused and dazed; Dean and Kat exchanged smiles.

"Good cause that would be awkward" Kat ruffled his hair.

Kat lay in her rightful place in Dean's arms. They had checked into a motel room for some much needed rest. Dean's phone began to ring. Kat stirred and Dean remained still. She looked over to Sam; he was fast asleep. Kat sat up and answered the phone.

"Kat?"

"John!"


	11. Chapter 11

"Kat, is that you?"

"John? Are you hurt?" Her voice was filled with anger rather than concern she knew what his little disappearing act had done to the boys.

"I'm fine" He reassured her.

"We've been looking for you everywhere. We didn't know where you were, if you were okay" Her voice became louder as she became increasingly angry.

"Kat, I'm all right. What about you and the boys?" Dean began to wake next to her.

"We're fine. Where are you?" Dean sat up.

"Sorry, kiddo, I can't tell you that" He sounded sorry that he couldn't reveal his location but Kat was not going to give him any sympathy.

"What? Why not?!" She woke Sam up.

"Is that Dad?"Kat turned speaker phone on and placed it onto the bedside table.

"Dad?" The boys announced their selves.

"Look, I know this is hard for you to understand. You're just gonna have to trust me on this"

"You're after it, aren't you? The thing that killed Marry" Kat questioned him.

"Yeah. It's a demon" John's words shocked the boys.

"A demon? You know for sure?" Kat had contacts that specialised in demons and but had very little experience in dealing with them herself.

"I do Kat. Listen, Sammy, I, uh…I also know what happened to your girlfriend. I'm so sorry. I would've done anything to protect you from that"

"You know where it is?" Sam sounded hopeful.

"Yeah, I think I'm finally closing in on it" Kat opened her mouth to question him further; demons are incredibly difficult to deal with.

"Let us help" Sam cut her off.

"You can't. You can't be any part of it" His tone was filled with authority and it was clear he his decision was final.

"Why not?" Was the general response from the room.

"Listen, that's why I'm calling, you and your brother, you gotta stop looking for me. Alright, now, I need you to write down these names"

"Names? What names, Dad. Talk to me, tell me what's going on" Sam pleaded. Kat frowned.

"Look, we don't have time for this. This is bigger than you think, they're everywhere. Even us talking right now, it's not safe"

"No. Alright? No way" Sam began to get angry.

"Give me the phone" Dean stood up.

"I have given you an order. Now, you stop following me, and you do your job. You understand me? Now, take down these names" Dean grabbed the phone from Sam and turned it off of speaker.

"Dad, it's me. Where are you? ... Yes, sir. … Uh, yeah, I got a pen. What are their names?" Kat and Sam exchanged frustrated and disappointed looks.

The three of them sat in the Impala. Kat sat In the back twisting her chocolate hair around her slim finger, complete with blood red fingernails and a silver ring. Sam and Dean were discussing their father's orders.

"Three different couples. All went missing, they're all from different towns, different states.

Washington, New York, Colorado. Each couple took a road trip cross-country. None of them arrived at their destination, and none of them were ever heard from again"

"Well, it's a big country, Dean. They could've disappeared anywhere" Sam was obviously against the idea of this hunt.

"Yeah, could've. But each one's route took 'em to the same part of Indiana. Always on the second week of April. One year after another after another" Dean ignored the tension. Kat was on team Sam but after hearing that demons were involved she had jumped ships.

"This is the second week of April" Kat's voice was flat; she wasn't interested in another family dispute.

"Yep" Dean chose to let her attitude slip he didn't want another fight with her.

"So, John is sending us to Indiana to go hunting for something before another couple vanishes?"

" Yahtzee. Can you imagine putting together a pattern like this? All the different obits Dad had to go through? The man's a master" Sam pulled over to the side of the road and turned the engine off. "What are you doing?" Dean turned to Sam.

"We're not going to Indiana" Sam look into the mirror to view Kat's verdict on the situation. He could tell by the way she spoke to John that she knew more about demons than they did. She was staring out of the window; it was clear that her mind was on other things.

"We're not?" Dean was never going to disobey his father's orders but Kat knew Sam would give it a shot anyway.

"No. We're going to California. Dad called from a payphone. Sacramento area code"

"Sammy" Kat began but he already had his mind made up.

"Dean, if this demon killed Mom and Jess, and Dad's closing in, we've gotta be there. We've gotta help"

"John doesn't want our help" Kat still sounded bored and uninterested.

"I don't care" Sam was shocked, he expected her to side with him.

"He's given us an order" Dean turned to Kat.

"I don't care. We don't always have to do what he says" He said firmly.

"Sam, Dad is asking us to work jobs, to save lives, it's important" Kat nodded at Dean, she smiled weakly he knew there was something up but he wasn't going to bring it up now.

"Alright, I understand, believe me, I understand. But I'm talking one week here, man, to get answers. To get revenge" Kat sighed. Revenge was a word she had heard too many times.

"Alright, look, I know how you feel" Dean was cut off by Sam's harsh words.

"Do you? How old were you when Mom died? Four? Jess died six months ago. How the hell would you know how I feel?"

"Dad said it wasn't safe. For any of us. I mean, he obviously knows something that we don't, so if he says to stay away, we stay away"

"I don't understand the blind faith you have in the man. I mean, it's like you don't even question him"

"Yeah, it's called being a good son!" That was the last straw Sam got out of the car. Kat sighed. Dean got out and watched as he began unloading his things from the trunk. "You're a selfish bastard, you know that? You just do whatever you want. Don't care what anybody thinks" Kat got out of the car.

"That's what you really think?" Sam sounded hurt.

"Yes, it is" Kat was shocked at Dean's words.

"Well, then this selfish bastard is going to California" He put on his backpack and started to walk away.

"Sammy please" Kat ran after him. "Sam please, don't go"

"Come on, you're not serious!" Dean shouted from behind them.

"I am serious!" He shouted to Dean and turned to Kat. "Thank you" He leaned down and gave her a hug.

"For what?" She looked up at him.

"Everything, me and you were the same. You don't understand how much you helped me over the past months"

"Sweetie please, demons are very very dangerous"

"I need to do this, for Jess for my own peace of mind" He placed his hands on her shoulder.

"Revenge is not the answer trust me" She pleaded with him.

"It might not be, but that's something I have to find out on my own"

"I'm coming with you" She turned to collect her things.

"No, no he needs you" He gestured to Dean with his head.

"Ok but promise me one thing, if you need anything you call me, I don't care what time it is"

"I promise"

"I'm gonna miss you sweetie" She hugged him.

"I'm gonna miss you too" He kissed her head.

"It's the middle of the night! Hey, I'm taking off, I will leave your ass, you hear me?" Dean shouted over to Sam.

"That's what I want you to do" He turned to him: they stared at each other for a few seconds.

"Goodbye, Sam" He closed the trunk and got in the car. Kat smiled at Sam and returned to the car. She slammed the door shut to emphasise her anger at what he had just done to his brother.

After arriving at Burkesville, Indiana and receiving directions from the local gas station Kat and Dean found themselves in an orchard. The EMF meter was beeping frantically as they progressed. They were still in silence from the Sam incident. Kat noticed a scarecrow; she shivered. Dean noticed her reaction. He looked up at it.

"That is fugly"

"Dean it has a sickle in its hand. What kinda freak puts a weapon in a scarecrows hand?"

"You're ... scared of scarecrows?" Dean laughed.

"No, maybe ... a little ... yes! Ok I'm terrified of them ok?" Kat folded her arms.

"Aww little kittykat scared of the big bad scarecrow?" He mocked her in a voice that you would talk to a baby in. He kissed her forehead. "Don't worry baby I'll protect you"

"It's not me you should be worrying about"

"He'll be fine he's a big boy" Before Kat could complain Dean noticed a tattoo on the scarecrows arm. It was a perfect match for that of the one located on the arm of Vince, one of the people who had previously disappeared. "Babe take a look at that" Kat hesitated but moved a little closer to the scarecrow. Just as she reached it Dean grabbed her around the waist.

"BOO!!!" He shouted, Kat screamed.

"Dean that's not funny!" She pushed him away and sat on a nearby tree stump in sulk mode.

"No, no you're right ... it's not funny, it's hilarious" He could no longer hold his laughter in.

"Dean!" She frowned.

"Oh baby I'm sorry" He opened his arms but she turned away again.

"No your mean" She was playing with him. Attempting to hold in her laughter.

"But you love me"

"Yeah ... sometimes. Let's get out of here" Kat stood up, Dean outstretched his hand. She took it and they walked back to the car.

They returned to town. Dean pulled over to the gas station to talk to the owner's niece about the town. Kat's phone began to ring.  
"Sammy" She got out of the passenger side and walked over to a nearby wooden bench.

"Hey Kat" He sounded tired but relieved to hear a familiar voice.

"How are you?" She smiled at the sound of his voice.

"I'm fine, I'm just waiting for a bus to Sacramento with a girl called Meg, were both heading to California; family troubles"

"Sam please come back" She pleaded.

"Kat you of all people should understand what I have to do"

" ... I never found the vampire that killed my family" Saying It out loud killed her but she wasn't going to admit defeat.

"What?" Sam was shocked. After the pain and suffering he had experiences over the past six months he could not understand how she could just abandon her hunt.

"The trail went cold just after I meet your brother"

"You gave up the hunt ... for Dean?"

"Well I guess I decided that I'd rather be with people who need me than be on my own living for revenge"

"Well then you are a lot stronger than I am"

"..."

"Kat I gotta go I'll call you later"

"Ok, try not to miss me too much"

"I'll try but I'm making no promises" They both laughed and Sam hung up. Kat looked over to the cafe that Dean was coming out of escorted by the sheriff.

"Great" he got into the Impala and was escorted down the street by the sheriff. Kat waited on the bench for the phone call she would no doubt receive after the sheriff had been convinced that he was out of town. She stood up and walked over to the cafe. She took a seat next to the window and placed her phone on the table. She stared out the window but the call never came. It began to get dark and still no call from Dean. Worry and concern filled Kat but she continued to drink her tea and eat her all day breakfast. The owner had told her that it was on the house and provided her with the towns signature dish; an apple pie. She had finally had enough and stood up and then it all went black.

"Kat, Kat babe come on wake up!" Dean gently shook her awake.

"Dean?" Her vision was slowly returning from its blurry state.

"Kitkat we got trouble?" He helped her sit up.  
"You mean more than usual?" She clutched her head.

"Yeah a Vanir" He helped her to her feet and propped her up. They were in a small dark space.

"A Van- what-ey-what?" She was still a little drowsy from whatever was in that apple pie.

"A Pagan god" He brushed her hair out of her pale face.

"So, a god possesses the scarecrow..." Her words were slurred and her tone was that of a drunk.

"And the scarecrow takes its sacrifice and then for another year, the crops won't wilt, and disease won't spread" Dean moved her over to the corner of the room.

"So that explains the whole stepford wife vibe" Her head was beginning to clear.

"Yeah" She moved to sit on a pile of logs and pondered their predicament.

"So how do we kill It?" She tied her curly hair into a messy ponytail.

"This particular Vanir takes its energy from a sacred tree?" He sounded like a professor.

"A sacred tree? What is this Harry Potter?"

"Yeah well we gotta do something cause I think we're its next meal"

"Great ... it had to be a scarecrow didn't it?" She stood up without stumbling and stretched her limbs. She knew that she had left all her weapons in the Impala so if push came to shove she would have to use one of her many martial art skills.

"Yeah well I know what tree it is we're looking for" Dean walked over to the wooden door and examined it for the hundredth time.

"Well aren't you organised? ... But baby, sweetie, angel there's one problem ... were stuck in here with crazy pagan worshipers ready to serve us on a platter to a fudged up scarecrow!"

"It's not my fault!" He was caught off guard by her outburst.

"I know, I know I'm sorry it's just ... scarecrows" She shivered and sat back down on the logs. The cellar door opened and the four elders of the town stood looking down at them. They exchanged a nervous glance and were escorted out of the cellar and into the orchard where they were tied to two adjacent trees.

"How many people have you killed, Sheriff? How much blood is on your hands?" Dean began to provoke them.

"We don't kill them" Was his short, cold response.

"No, but you sure cover up after. I mean, how many cars have you hidden, clothes have you buried? I'm sure Emily would be proud" Kat's tone was vicious. They four of them walked away in silence.

"I hope your apple pie is freakin' worth it!" Dean shouted as he began to tug at the ropes.

"So, what's the plan?" Kat questioned him.

"I'm workin' on it" Kat sighed at his response. Hours had past and it had begun to get increasingly darker.

"We are so screwed" Kat sighed. "All these years I expected it to be a vampire, a

Worthy foe but noooo. The Kat the most feared vampire hunter in England is going to be eaten by a scarecrow" She half heartedly smiled.

"I'm workin' on it. Can you see?" The fear in Dean's voice was not reassuring.

" What?" Kat sounded defeated.

"Is he moving yet?" Dean was facing the opposite direction to wear they had earlier seen the scarecrow.

"I can't see" A shadow caught Kat's eyes over by the trees. "Oh my God!" Sam came out from behind the trees.

"Dean? Kat?"

" Oh! Oh, I take everything back I said. I'm so happy to see you. Come on" Dean's tone was filled with joy as Sam began to untie his ropes.

"How'd you get here sweetie?"

" I, uh—I stole a car"

"Haha! That's my boy! And keep an eye on that scarecrow. He could come alive any minute" Dean stood up and Sam began to untie Kat's ropes.

"What scarecrow?" Kat and Dean look over to see that the scarecrow's post was empty. Kat's face filled with terror and they all began to run for the exit.

"Alright, now, this sacred tree you're talking about?" Sam continued to run side by side with Dean.

"It's the source of its power" Kat shouted back to him.

"So let's find it and burn it" He shouted to her as she was far in front of the both of them.

"Nah, in the morning. Let's just shag ass before Leather Face catches up" Deans plan was short lived as they reached a clearing that the elders and a few other townspeople were waiting for them in.

"This way" They turned around but they were blocked in all directions.

"Let us go" Kat's words were more of an order than a request.

"It'll be over quickly, I promise"

"Yeah well you can stick your promises where the sun doesn't shine" She smirked at the old man. All of a sudden, the scarecrow stuck his sickle through Harley's stomach. Stacy screamed and was then herself captured by the scarecrow, too. The two of them were dragged away by the scarecrow as the rest of the townspeople flee in terror.

Kat sat in the Impala waiting for the boys who had gone to torch the tree. She had, had enough of killer scarecrows to last her a lifetime. They boys appeared from behind the trees and got into the car.

"So, can I drop you off somewhere?" Dean used the rear-view mirror to question Sam.

No, I think you're stuck with me" Kat smiled.

"What made you change your mind?" She turned to look at him.

"I didn't. I still wanna find Dad" He looked over to Dean "And you're still a pain in the ass" Dean nodded." But, Jess and Mom—they're both gone. Dad is God knows where. You, me and Kat. We're all that's left. So, if we're gonna see this through, we're gonna do it together"

"Hold me, Sam. That was beautiful" They laugh at Dean's comment.

"You should be kissing my ass, you were dead meat, dude" Sam shoved him from the backseat.

"Yeah, right. I had a plan; I'd have gotten us out"

"Oh yeah?" Kat smirked.

"Yeah" He winked at her.

"Whatever you say sweetie"


	12. Chapter 12

Kat sat in the emergency room; tears silently rolling down her beautiful face. Dean had suffered an electric shock during their previous hunt to take down a Rawhead and was now in a critical condition. The police officer who had been interviewing Sam approached her.

"Miss I understand this is a difficult time but we need to know what happened" Kat looked up from her seat and half heartedly smiled.

"I understand. We were just taking a shortcut through the neighbourhood. And, um, the windows were rolled down, we heard some screaming. We drove past the house, and we stopped. Ran in" Her words were toneless she didn't care about anything but Dean right now.  
"And you found the kids in the basement?"  
"Yes"  
"Well, thank God you did" The police officer nodded, Kat faked a smile and he walked away. Kat noticed the doctor who was in charge of Dean's case.  
"Excuse me doctor" Her voice was weak, she knew she had to ask but she wasn't sure if she was ready for the answer "Hey, Doc. Is he ..." She couldn't bring herself to finish the question.  
"He's resting" Kat's face dropped. She figured that resting was doctor code for dying.  
"And? ..." She wasn't ready for the answer.  
"Mrs. Burkovitz the electrocution triggered a heart attack. Pretty massive, I'm afraid. His heart—it's damaged" He attempted to break it to her as gently as he could.  
"How, how dam - damaged?" The tears were returning.  
"We've done all we can" Kat's heart broke. "We can try and keep him comfortable at this point. But, I'd give him a couple weeks, at most, maybe a month" Kat sat down on the nearby white metal bench. She placed her head in her hands.  
"No, no. There's—there's gotta be something you can do, some kind of treatment" The anger in her voice became more apparent towards the end of the sentence and then it ended in a huge sob.  
"We can't work miracles. I really am sorry" Sam burst through the door.

"Kat! Kat! What's going on?" He knelt down in front of her and cupped her face in his hand.

"Sammy ... he's ..." She threw her arms around him. It was then that she had to tell Sam that his brother was going to die. After all the heart ache this boy had suffered she was going to inflict the ultimate tragedy onto him. "He's dying"

They both stood outside of Dean's hospital room. Kat attempted to hold back her tears. Sam opened the door; Dean was sat up in bed watching TV. He looked sick, he was pale and huge dark circles framed his beautiful eyes.

"Have you ever actually watched daytime TV? It's terrible" He sounded weak. The sigh of Kat in pieces made his heart ache. He could tell that she had been crying.  
"I, I talked to your doctor" She shut her eyes and wiped away the stray tears.  
"That fabric softener teddy bear. Oh, I'm gonna hunt that little bitch down" Kat frowned; making a joke of the situation typical Dean. Truth was he didn't want to upset her further by discussing the matter.  
"Dean!" Sam got he's attention.

"Yeah" He turned the TV off. "Alright, well, looks like you're gonna leave town without me" He shrugged it off as if it were nothing. That was the final straw.  
"What are you talking about? We are not going to leave you here" Sam spoke with conviction.  
"Hey babe, you better take care of that car. Or, I swear, I'll haunt your fine ass" He winked at her "I don't think that's funny!" Kat's reaction shocked them both. She didn't raise her voice that often.  
"Oh, come on, it's a little funny" Kat gave him a steely glare. "Look, Kitkat, what can I say, it's a dangerous gig. I drew the short straw. That's it, end of story you know how it is" Kat sighed and stormed over to the window and sat on the ledge.  
"Don't talk like that, alright? We still have options" Sam moved over to Dean's bed.  
"What options? Yeah, burial or cremation, And I know it's not easy. But I'm gonna die. And you can't stop it" Kat had had enough and if she felt like this then god knows how Sam felt.

"Watch me!" She got up and walked out of the room, pulling her phone out the pocket of her black jeans.

Kat spent hours on the phone to every hunter she knew; and she knew many. After all the small talk was out of the way she got down to the matter at hand but had little success until she came across the number of Joshua; a middle aged man who had hunted vampires with her and her uncle Danny many years ago. He had suggested that she try a specialist in Nebraska. She returned to Dean's room with the good news but his bed was empty. She inquired with the nurse and discovered that he had checked himself out twenty minutes ago. She made her way back to the motel and as she expected; he was there. The sound of an argument came from behind the door of their motel room. This was one family squabble she was willing to get involved in. She threw open the door.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" The boys went silent; Sam had never seen Kat this angry before. Her lips were pouting and her eyes were cold.  
"I checked myself out" He smiled, that gorgeous smile that at any other time would have made her melt and forget why she was mad at him. But not today.

"Well I'm glad you cleared that up because I never would have guessed, you being here and all"  
"Did I ever tell you how sexy you look when you're being sarcastic?" He smirked and winked at her.

"She's right you know? this whole I-laugh-in-the-face-of-death thing? It's crap. I can see right through it" Sam slammed down on the bed.  
"Yeah, whatever, dude. Have you even slept? You look worse than me" Dean attempted to move towards the chair but stumbled. Kat steadied him and assisted him over to his destination.

"I've been scouring the Internet for the last three days. Calling every contact in Dad's journal" Great minds think alike but unlike Kat, Sam's attempts failed.  
"For what?" Dean attempted to pull Kat onto his lap but she pulled away. He looked so fragile.  
"For a way to help you but so far I haven't found anything"

"Never leave a man to do a woman's job" She held out a piece of paper adorned with her beautiful loopy writing.

"One of my old hunting buddies, Joshua told me about a guy in Nebraska. A specialist" Kat winked at Sam, his smile melted Kat's heart; he looked as though a great weight had been lifted off of his shoulders.  
"You're not gonna let me die in peace, are you?" Dean looked from Kat to Sam.  
"Sweetie I'm not gonna let you die, period"

"We're going" Sam stood up and began to pick up his clothes and stuff them in his duffle bag.

They arrived at their destination in Nebraska after a long and silent journey. Kat parked the car and Sam attempted to help Dean get out. A large white tent surrounded by people all of whom looked weak and ill.

"The Church of Roy LeGrange. Faith healer. Witness the miracle" Kat sighed. Dean grunted in pain.

"I got ya" Sam continued to assist him.

"I got it Sam" Sam let him go and he steadied himself on the Impala. "Babe I thought you said we were going to see a doctor"

"I believe I said a specialist. Look, Dean, this guy's supposed to be the real deal and besides Josh never said he was a faith healer" Faith was not something she could understand for many different reasons.  
"I can't believe you brought me here to see some guy who heals people out of a tent" An elderly woman passed by and overheard them in the middle of their domestic.  
"Reverend LeGrange is a great man"  
"Yeah, that's nice" Kat gave Dean one of her "Be polite" faces and he smiled at the woman. They continued walking and came across an angry man who was talking to a sheriff.  
"I have a right to protest. This man is a fraud. And he's bilking all these people out of their hard-earned money"  
"Sir, this is a place of worship. Let's go. Move it" They walked away from the tent.  
"I take it he's not part of the flock" Kat turned to face Dean "I understand why you're so sceptical sweetie, I'm not big on the whole faith deal either but you know as well as I do that when people see something they can't explain, there's controversy" Dean looked from Kat to Sam.  
"I mean, come on, Sam, a faith healer?"  
"Maybe it's time to have a little faith, Dean" Sam smiled at Kat.

"You know what I've got faith in? Reality. Knowing what's really going on"  
"How can you be a sceptic? With the things we see every day?" Kat raised her eyebrow at Dean.  
"Exactly. We see them, we know they're real"  
"But if you know evil's out there, how can you not believe good's out there, too?" Sam questioned them both.  
"Because we've seen what evil does to good people" Dean looked at Kat, she nodded.  
"Maybe God works in mysterious ways" A young blond woman smiled warmly at them.  
"Maybe he does" Sam seemed to be the only one of them who actually believed that good things happened to good people.  
"I'm Dean. This is Kat and Sam" She shook their hands in turn.  
"Layla. So, if you're not a believer, then why are you here?"  
"Well, apparently my brother here believes enough for the both of us" An older woman walked over to them.  
"Come on, Layla. It's about to start" She ushered her into the tent.

"Guys why don't you just give it a chance?" Sam pleaded with them both. Kat followed Layla into the tent; Sam took that as a yes. If it were any other incident she would have walked away but Dean's impending death was enough to make her want to at least try.

Inside the tent a large group of people sat waiting patiently for the service to begin. Kat gestured to a security camera on the wall.  
"Yeah, peace, love, and trust all over" Dean went to sit down on the free chairs at the back of the tent. Kat joined him.  
"Come on" Sam gestured to the both of them to join him.  
"What are you doing? Let's sit here" Dean pointed to the seats he and Kat occupied.  
"We're sitting up front" Sam's voice was filled with authority.  
"What? Why?" Dean questioned but Kat rose from her seat and moved to the front.  
"Come on" She tugged on his hand.  
"Oh, come on babe" She helped him to the front of the room.

"You alright?" Sam took Dean from Kat and began to search for empty seats.  
"This is ridiculous. I'm good, dude, get off me" He pushed Sam away. Kat pointed to four empty seats behind Layla and her mother.

"Perfect" Sam smiled at them.  
"Yeah, perfect" Dean sighed.

"Dean sweetie you take the aisle" They sat down. The reverend was escorted onto the stage as he was blind; and began the service.  
"Each morning, my wife, Sue Ann, reads me the news. Never seems good, does it?" The crowd around them shouted in agreement with him. "Seems like there's always someone committing some immoral, unspeakable act" Kat noticed a table filled with crosses and other religious items. She sees an old cross that has another smaller cross on top with a circle around it. "But, I say to you, God is watching. God rewards the good, and He punishes the corrupt."The crowd responded with lots of nodding, cheering, and murmuring. "Who does the healing here, friends? The Lord who guides me in choosing who to heal by helping me see into people's hearts" The crowd murmured.  
"Yeah, or into their wallets" He whispered to Kat, she smirked.  
"You think so, young man?" The church went silent.  
"Sorry" He was embarrassed and Kat had to stop herself from laughing.  
"No, no. Don't be. Just watch what you say around a blind man, we've got real sharp ears" The crowd laughed. "What's your name, son?" Dean hesitated, Kat elbowed him.  
"Dean"  
"Dean. I want—I want you to come up here with me" The reverends wife Sue Ann got up on the stage to welcome him. The crowd clapped and cheered.  
"No, that's ok" He shook his head.  
"What are you doing?" Kat whispered to him.  
"You've come here to be healed, haven't you?" The reverend questioned him.  
"Well, yeah, but ..." The crowd cheered again. "No, maybe you should just pick someone else" The crowd clapped loudly.  
"Oh, no, I didn't pick you, Dean, the Lord did" Kat rolled her eyes. God was another thing she had a problem with. The crowd clapped and cheered and shouted messages of support and encouragement to Dean.

" Dean get up there! Now!" Kat shouted at him. He reluctantly got up onto the stage, he looked very uncomfortable.  
"You ready?" The reverend smiled at him.  
"Look, no disrespect, but I'm not exactly a believer"  
"You will be, son. You will be. Pray with me, friends" The crowd lifted their arms up and joined hands with each other. Roy lifted up his hands and placed one on Dean's shoulder. Dean looked as nervous as Kat felt. Roy moved his hand to Dean's forehead and his eyes glazed over. "Alright, now. Alright, now" Dean started to look very weak and dizzy. His eyes closed and he fell to his knees. "Alright, now" Dean collapsed on the floor. The crowd cheered.  
"Dean!" Sam rushed onto the stage and shook Dean; he suddenly woke, gasping for breath. "Say something" Dean looked around. He noticed Kat froze in the aisle, her beautiful eyes were wide and she looked terrified. And then he saw it too an old man, pale white; dead. He had a black suit and white hair. He was standing on the stage next to Roy. He looked at Dean and then vanished. Kat shook her head and he was gone.

They sat in the local hospital waiting for the results of Dean's tests. Kat was staring into space; she was thinking about what she had seen or what she thought she had seen. A nurse came into the room; she was looking over some paperwork. Kat snapped out of it. Dean could tell that she was pondering something important as she was twisting one of her many rings around her finger.

"Well, according to all your tests, there's nothing wrong with your heart. No sign there ever was" Dean looked curious while Sam and Kat looked ecstatic. "Not that a man your age should be having heart trouble, but, still it's strange it does happen"

"What do you mean, strange?" Dean took the words right out of Kats mouth.  
"Well, just yesterday, a young guy like you, twenty-seven, athletic. Out of nowhere, heart attack" Dean and Kat exchanged concerned looks.  
"Thanks" Dean smiled at her.  
"Oh, no problem" She left the room.  
"That's odd"

"For once I agree with you sweetie"  
"Maybe it's a coincidence. People's hearts give out all the time, man" Sam stood up and put his jacket on.  
"No, they don't Sammy" Kat was going to tell them about what she saw but Sam interrupted her.  
"Look, guys, do we really have to look this one in the mouth? Why can't we just be thankful that the guy saved your life and move on?"  
"Because I can't shake this feeling, that's why" Dean frowned and Kat moved closer to him.  
"What feeling?" She took his hand in hers.  
"When I was healed, I just—I felt wrong. I felt cold. And for a second, I saw someone. This, uh, this old man. And I'm telling you, Sam, it was a spirit" Kat felt relieved that she wasn't the only one who had seen this man.

"But if there was something there, Dean, I think I would've seen it, too. I mean, I've been seeing an awful lot of things lately"  
"Well, excuse me, psychic wonder. But you're just gonna need a little faith on this one. Sam, I've been hunting long enough to trust a feeling like this"

"I'm in babe" She stood up. After all she had seen it too so she had every reason to go along with Dean's intuition.  
"Yeah, alright. So, what do you wanna do?" He sounded reluctant.  
"I want you to go check out the heart attack guy. We'll gonna visit the reverend"

After Dean and Kat had gone to see the reverend and Dean had been shouted at by Layla's mother for being healed when her daughter hadn't they returned to the motel to regroup with Sam. Something played on Kat's mind; the reverend had told Dean that he had looked into his heart and seen a young man with an important purpose. A job to do. And it isn't finished. What did that mean? Whatever it was it had to be bigger than finding John and avenging his mother.  
"What'd you find out?" Dean sat down on the bed and Kat sat crossed legged on the floor in front of the two of them. She tied her curly brown hair into a messy ponytail and removed her black hoodie complete with the Aerosmith logo on the back. Dean watched as the action of removing her hoodie caused her black string top to rise up and reveal her flat stomach, his eyes roamed her perfect body. He lingered on her breasts.

"I'm sorry" Sam's words distracted Dean. Kat smirked she would often catch him staring at her out the corner of her eye. She didn't mind though it's not like she didn't do it to him.  
"Sorry about what?" Dean sounded surprised to hear his brother apologise.  
"Marshall Hall died at 4:17" Sam sighed.  
"The exact time you were healed sweetie" Kat clutched at her pentacle. She never took it off due to the sentimental value and the cross that hung below it was a gift from Danny on their first vampire hunt together. It had belonged to her auntie; it was solid silver with a black onyx stone in the centre.

"Yeah. So, I put together a list of everyone Roy's healed, six people over the past year, and I cross-checked them with the local obits" He handed Dean and Kat a pile of research." Every time someone was healed, someone else died. And each time, the victim died of the same symptom LeGrange was healing at the time" They divided the papers between them, taking a handful each.

"Someone's healed of cancer, someone else dies of cancer?" Dean questioned him as he and Kat exchanged their papers and continued to scan them.  
"Somehow" They both looked at Sam as they pondered the situation.

"So what, LeGrange is trading one life for another?" Kat placed her research onto the bed next to Sam and stood up. She knew exactly what was behind this.  
"Wait, wait, wait. So, Marshall Hall died to save me?" Dean's face filled with regret and guilt.  
"Dean sweetie, the guy probably would've died anyway. And someone else would've been healed" Dean stood up.

"You never should've brought me here" Dean aimed it at Sam but Kat knew that this one was on her.  
"Sam didn't bring you here I did and I was just trying to save your life" Her usual posh English accent complete with a complex vocabulary became flat but she remained calm. Dean didn't like arguing with her, she wouldn't get angry and shout in his face. She just kept her quiet but lose her melodically tone.  
"But, Kat, some guy is dead now because of me" She knew it was serious when he called her Kat.  
"I didn't know this was going to happen Dean" They stared at one another, the emotions running high and then the awkward silence kicked in. They refused to break eye contact.  
"The thing I don't understand is how is Roy doing it? How's he trading a life for a life?" Sam broke the silence and they both turned their gaze to Sam.

"Oh, he's not doing it" Dean sat back down on the other bed.

"Something else is doing it for him" Kat turned to the window and observed the night.  
"What do you mean?" Sam ignored Dean and turned to Kat.  
"The old man I saw on stage, I didn't wanna believe it, but deep down I knew it" Dean's words caught Kat off guard.  
"You knew what? What are you talking about?" Sam stood up and walked over to him. Kat turned to face him.  
"There's only one thing that can give and take life like that" Sam looked at her with confusion on his face. "We're dealing with a reaper"

"Kat, you really think it's the Grim Reaper? Like, angel of death, collect your soul, the whole deal?"  
"No, Sammy not the Reaper, a reaper. There's reaper lore in pretty much every culture on Earth. Go by a hundred different names. It's highly possible that there's more than one of them, in fact I would put money on the fact that there is only one Grim Reaper"  
"But Dean you said you saw a dude in a suit" Sam sounded sceptical and the tone is his voice clearly suggested that he was humouring her.  
"Well, what were you expecting Sammy, do you think he should've been workin' the whole black robe thing?" Kat smiled at him. He loved her sarcasm, he hated Dean's but when Kat did it, it was cute. "You said it yourself that the clock stopped, right?" She walked over to her laptop; it didn't get much use since Sam did most of the paperwork but Reapers were creatures that had always fascinated Kat. After a few minutes she turned the screen towards Sam with a reaper on it. "Reapers stop time sweetie" Dean decided to finally contribute to the discussion.

"And you can only see 'em when they're coming at you, which is why I could see it and you guys couldn't" Deans words confused Kat, why could she see them?. After pondering it for a few seconds Sam responded.  
"Maybe"  
"There's nothing else it could be, Sam. The question is how's Roy controllin' the damn thing?" Dean was getting angry.  
"That cross" Kat was talking more to herself than the boys.  
"What?" They both questioned.  
"There was this cross. I noticed it in the church tent, I knew I had seen it before" She shuffles through a stack of tarot cards that one of her uncle's hunting buddies had given to her on their first hunt together for luck. She picked one and turned it towards the boys it depicted a skeleton with a crown on its head. The cross is in the corner of the picture. "Here"

"A tarot?" Dean's tone was sceptic and the tension between them still hung in the air.  
"Tarot dates back to the early Christian era, when some priests were still using magic and a few of them veered into the dark stuff. Necromancy, and how to push death away, how to cause it" Her tone twisted and she clearly enjoyed being right especially when it meant Dean was wrong.  
"So, Roy is using black magic to bind the reaper?" Sam had never seen Dean treat her like this before, he wasn't being horrible or nasty but he still never spoke to Kat like that. Sam knew that Kat had a lot more experience with many different types of monsters and had, had many mentors along the way.  
"If he is, he's riding the whirlwind. It's like putting a dog leash on a Great White" Kat slammed down onto the bed and crossed her legs.  
"Ok, then we stop Roy" Dean stated the obvious.  
" How?" Sam closed his own laptop.  
"You know how" Kat laughed at Dean's remark.  
"We can't kill Roy Dean" Kat stated in an authoritative tone.  
"The guy's playing God, he's deciding who lives and who dies, that's a monster in my book Kat"  
"No, we're not gonna kill a human being, Dean. We do that, we're no better than he is" Kat finally began to raise her voice.  
"Okay, so we can't kill Roy, we can't kill death. Any other bright ideas?" As soon as the words left his mouth he knew it was a mistake. He had no intension for it to sound as harsh as it did. Her face dropped.  
"If Roy is using some kind of black spell on the reaper, we've gotta figure out what it is. And how to break it, I say we I mean you" She got up and walked over to the door.

"Babe wait I-"She slammed the door and began to walk to the bar they had passed on the way in.

She walked in, it was empty. A young man behind the bar smiled brightly at her.

"What can I get ya?" He was very handsome but not a patch on Dean.

"Pepsi Max please" He seemed a little shocked at her choice of drink but smiled and handed her a bottle.

"Thanks" She walked to the furthest corner of the bar away from innocent ears. She dialled her uncle's number.

"Hey baby, how are you?" He sounded happy to hear from her after so many weeks but decided not to lecture her.

"Hi Danny, I'm fine ... well no actually I'm not" She took a huge gulp of her drink.

"Is it Dean, cause you know I'm not the best person to ask about that sort of stuff-"

"I've seen another one" She blurted it out.

"A reaper?" He didn't sound shocked as this had been occurring since she was a little girl.

"Yeah" It scared her. Seeing death was something that she had never got used too.

"Where? Who?" He sounded more concerned about the deceased than her.

"It's a long story but I saw him, it's tied in with the case were working on"

"I told you before, don't worry about it" The phrasing of his sentence made it clear that he was done talking about this subject.

"Don't worry?! I can see reapers. You're not supposed to see them unless you're about to die" She knew she wasn't on the verge of death apart from her anaemia she was perfectly healthy.

"You listen here, the amount of death and tragedies you've witnessed over the years it's no wonder you can see death!" He had never sounded so angry.

"Why do I get the feeling you're keeping something from me?" Whenever this subject came up he would always sweep it under the carpet.

"I gotta go, I'll call you tomorrow. Love you" She frowned, but it was exactly what she had expected. Pure avoidance.

"I love you too" She hung up and continued to sip her drink.

She decided that after and hour she had better go and find the brothers before they did anything stupid. She headed for the church as she reached the parking lot she saw him. The reaper. He was following the protester that they had encountered on their first trip to the church.

"Help! Help! Help me, please!" He ran towards Kat. The reaper stared at her and then carried on like she wasn't a threat at all. He placed his hands on the protesters face, he feel to the ground, and began to lose its colour quickly. Kat began to run towards the reaper. He suddenly he removed his hand from his face and began to walk away from him. Kat blinked and he had vanished. She rushed over to the protester.  
"I got ya sweetie. I got ya" He gasped for breath as she helped him to his feet.  
"Thank God"

"Listen I gotta go are you going to be ok?"

"Yeah, yeah thanks" She ran into the church as Sue Ann the reverends wife and the sheriff stood around Dean.  
"I just don't understand. After everything we've done for you, after Roy healed you. We're very, very disappointed, Dean. You can let him go, I'm not gonna press charges. The Lord will deal with him as he sees fit" She walked away.  
"We catch you around here again, son, we'll put the fear of God in you, understand?" The sheriff let go of Dean.  
"Yes, sir. Fear of God. Got it" The sheriff followed Sue Ann out of the tent. Dean turned around and saw Kat.

"Hey" She smiled sweetly.

"Hey ... look about before-"

"Forget it, I'm sorry" She opened her arms.

"I'm sorry too" He hugged her, picked her up and kissed her forehead.

"I'm just glad you're alive" he put her back on the ground and she wrapped her arms around his waist.

"But?" He rested his head on top of hers.

"But if it is Sue then she must be using a binding spell to trap the reaper" She nuzzled her head into his chest.

"Must be a hell of a spell" He rubbed her back.

"Yeah. You've got to build a black altar, with seriously dark stuff. Bones, human blood. To cross the line like that, that preacher's wife. Black magic, murder. Evil" He kissed the top of her head.  
"Desperate. Her husband was dying; she'd have done anything to save him. She was using the binding spell to keep the reaper away from Roy" He sighed.

"Cheating death. Literally. " Sam appeared from the back of the tent. They separated from one another.  
"Well I get, she's doing what she has too to keep the man she loves alive ... but Roy's alive and she still using the spell so she must be forcing the reaper to kill people she thinks are immoral" Dean smiled a little at the first half of her sentence. Was she talking about him?  
"May God save us from half the people who think they're doing God's work" Dean raised his eyebrow in shock.  
"We've gotta break that binding spell, guys" Sam moved over to sit on the empty seats.

"You know, Sue Ann had a Coptic cross and when she dropped it, the reaper backed off" Dean looked over to Kat.  
"So, you think we've gotta find the cross or destroy the altar?" Sam questioned them both.  
"Since when have we ever done a half hearted job?" Kat smirked. "Let's do both" She winked at Dean.

Kat, Sam and Dean stood at the back of the reverends house; the sheriff blocked their path into Sue.

"You go get Sue, I'll handle the sheriff and Dean you keep an eye on the reverend" Kat disappeared round the front of the house. She removed her jacket and adjusted her rolling stones camisole to show a little more flesh.

"Excuse me officer?" He turned and was clearly caught off guard by her beauty. She was classically beautiful; pale skin, red lips, dark hair. Elegantly beautiful.

"C-can I help you miss?" He adjusted his tie.

"Oh yes please" She wrapped a piece of hair around her finger and bit her bottom lip. He moved closer to her and then she punched him in the face. She quickly put her jacket back on and called for Sam.

"Sammy its all clear, I'm gonna go help Dean" She ran towards the parking. Terror filled her as the reaper had his hands on the side of Dean's face as he did with the protester and the colour began to drain from his handsome face.

"Dean!" The reaper turned his head towards her but again his reaction was nothing, he looked at her like she wasn't even there. She ran closer but the reaper ignored her totally. She knelt next to Dean and yet he still did nothing to stop her. He suddenly removed his hand from Dean and turned to face the tent. Sue Ann stood near the back; the reaper appeared in front of her and placed his hand on her face. She fell to the ground, becoming increasingly pale and twitching and then she stopped moving all together. The reaper turned to Kat; he nodded his head and then disappeared. She instantly knelt back down next to Dean. "Baby are you ok?" She stroked the side of his face.

"A little bit weak" She rested his head on her lap. She leant down and kissed his forehead.

"Come on we gotta get out of here" She helped him to his feet and they ran to meet Sam next to the car.

They sat in the car in the motel parking lot, Dean was quiet and that worried Kat. Sam had gone to pay the bill.

"What is it sweetie?" She wrapped her arms around his neck from her seat in the back of the car.  
"Nothing" He tilted his head to the side and she kissed his cheek.  
"Come on baby this is me your talking too" she smiled at him in the rear view mirror.  
"We did the right thing here, didn't we?" He took her hands in his.  
"Of course we did" She rested her cheek against his.  
"Didn't feel like it" He kissed her fingertips.

"You're alive, that's enough for me" He smiled at her, his warm, caring, amazing smile.


	13. Chapter 13

Kat lay in the back of the Impala covered by Dean's leather jacket. She woke up to find the car empty. The boys were sitting on the hood; Sam was examining a map and Dean was on his phone. She closed her eyes and lay back down. The boys got into the car.

"Just got a call from, uh, an old friend. Her father was killed last night, she thinks it might be our kind of thing" Dean sounded nervous and shocked at the same time.

"What?" Sam questioned.

"Yeah. Believe me, she never would've called, never, if she didn't need us" Dean turned to look at Kat; he thought that she was still sleeping.

"By old friend, you mean….?" Sam raised his eyebrow.

"A friend that's not new" Sam chuckled at him. Kat was actually relieved to hear Sam laughing for a change especially after Dean's near death experience.

"Yeah, thanks. So, her name's Cassie, huh?" Dean nodded. "You never mentioned her"

"... Didn't I?" He looked back at Kat again, to check that she was still sleeping.

"No" Sam watched him as he examined Kat and instantly knew she was more than an old friend.

"Yeah, we went out" He lowered his voice.

"You mean you dated someone? For more than one night?" Sam sounded shocked; Kat was the only woman he had been committed to in his entire life.

"Am I speakin' a language you're not getting here?" Sam laughed at him. "Yeah, Dad and I were workin' a job in Athens, Ohio, she was finishing up college, and we went out for a couple weeks"

"And?" Dean shook his head. "Look, it's terrible about her dad, but it kind of sounds like a standard car accident. I'm not seeing how it fits with what we do. Which, by the way, how does she know what we do?" Dean doesn't respond. "You told her. You told her? The secret? Our big family rule number one, we do what we do, and we shut up about it. For a year and a half I do nothing but lie to Jessica, and you go out with this chick in Ohio a couple of times and you tell her everything?" Dean still said nothing. "Dean!"

"Yeah. Looks like it" Kat sat up and stretched, yawning loudly. "Morning sweetheart, sleep well?"

"Yeah ... where are we heading?" She played dumb she wanted more information from Dean.

"Cape Girardeau, Missouri" Dean smiled at her through the rear view mirror.

"What happened to Pennsylvania?" Kat picked up his jacket and put it on.

"Old friend called" Dean avoided eye contact with her for the rest of the journey.

When they arrived at their destination Dean attempted to distract Kat with the task of parking the Impala. She parked near the entrance of the news room where Dean's "old friend" worked. She walked through the entrance hall until she caught sight of Dean.

"Dean" He turned and smiled at the sight of her in his leather jacket.

"Kat, this is Cassie, Cassie Kat" He gestured to her. An awkward silence fell over the room.

"Hey" Kat weakly smiled.

"Hi" Cassie looked taken back by her. Sure Kat was beautiful but it was a natural beauty, her pale skin, ruby red lips, and chocolate hair. Stunning. Out of this world. But what hurt the most was that the smile on Dean's face when he saw her. He never looked at her like that.

"Here's your keys sweetie" She handed them to him. And he would have never let Cassie drive his car.

"Thanks" He put them into his pocket and turned to face Cassie.

Kat, Dean and Sam sat around their motel room. Kat and Dean had been completely avoiding the subject of Cassie since they arrive.

"So her father was seeing things, swore he saw a black truck following him. With no driver. He said it would appear and disappear .In the accident, the truck was dented like it had been slammed into, by something big. There wasn't a scratch on that thing. It had rained hard that night, there was mud everywhere. There was a distinct set of muddy tracks from his car, leading right to the edge. Where he went over. One set of tracks—his" Dean sighed.

"And the first person killed was a friend of hers father's?" Kat wasn't really going to listen to the answer. She just stared out of the window. Cassie had reminded her of Jack.

"His best friend. Clayton Solmes. They owned the car dealership together. Same thing. Dent, no tracks. And the cops said exactly the same he lost control of his car" Dean observed Kat, she was holding onto her pentacle. He always wondered where she came across it but he knew it must be important as she never took it off.

"Any reason why he and his partner might be targets?" Sam stood up.

"No" Dean was still gazing at Kat and Sam could sense that there were issues that needed resolving between them.

Kat was woken up by the sound of her phone ringing; she stretched over to the bed side table.

"Morning sunshine" Dean's voice made her smile.

"Hey, abandoning me already?"

"I noticed that you didn't sleep well last night so I thought I'd leave you in bed a little longer. Have you been taking your iron tablets?"

"Yeah ... thanks for looking out for me but I - just, memories you know? Bad ones"

"Hey if you wanna talk about it when I get back I'll take you out for a late breakfast"

"Thanks Dean but we have a case"

"... Yeah and another guy; Jimmy died last night"

"Damn it, I'm gonna get dressed and I'll meet you at the dinner down the street"

"Riiiight soooo you're telling me that a haunted truck from the sixties is on a killing spree?" Kat rubbed her eyes and yawned.

"Yeah" Sam smiled.

"Well that's new" She returned his smile and took a sip of Dean's drink.

"Story goes that there were a string of deaths in the sixties, all black men. Disappeared in a big black truck" Dean handed her half of his bacon sandwich.

"They never caught the guy who did it" Sam smiled; Kat guessed that he and Jess used to share breakfast judging by the nostalgia in his eyes. Quickly followed by sorrow and regret.

"Guys, you heard of the Flying Dutchman?" Kat wiped her mouth with a napkin and awaited their answers.

"Yeah, a ghost ship infused with the captain's evil spirit. Basically a part of him" Sam leaned in obviously interested in where she was going with this.

"Yeah exactly sweetie, so what if we're dealing with the same thing? You know, a phantom truck that's the extension of some bitch of a ghost, re-enacting past crimes" Kat subconsciously picked at the chipped black paint on her nails.

"The victims have all been black men" Sam snapped her out of her trance.

"It's more than that. They all seem connected to Cassie and her family" Even the mention of her name was enough to make Kat jealous. Sirens blazed past the dinner.

"Alright, well Sammy, why don't you go check it out" Dean gestured to Sam with his head (Get lost) was the general meaning behind the motion.

"Yeah, right I'll ... err, see you guys later" He took the keys from the table and walked out.

"Hey babe you err wanna go for a walk?" Dean threw down the money onto the table as Kat got up. He took that as a yes.

They aimlessly walked around the block until they located an empty bench in the park. Kat sat on the table with her feet resting on the seat. Dean sat in front of her; he looked up into her stormy eyes and frowned.

"What's wrong sweetheart? And don't say nothing cause I know there's something wrong" He took her hands in his. She has always wanted to tell him about her past but the opportunity had never presented itself before. She decided it was time to come clean.

"It's just ... it's Jack, he was my first boyfriend. He died saving me" A tear slid down her face.

"Oh babe I'm so sorry" He wiped it away with his thumb. He never imagined her with another guy; probably because it would make him insanely jealous.

"I guess with you and Cassie it, it just brought back old memories, you know" She slid onto the seat next to him and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Yeah, I guess I should have told you earlier about her" He rubbed her back, soothing her. He then moved to sit facing her, his legs either side of the seat.

"What did you think our periods would synchronise and we'd end up killing each-other?" She giggled and mimicked his movement and rested her forehead against his.

"No it's just ... I, I don't know" He frankly didn't know why he wasn't honest with her from the start.

"Well, she seems ... err ..." Kat couldn't think of a word to sum her up, she could think of many but none of them would be appropriate and would make her seem jealous. As true as it was it was not an attractive quality.

"Yeah she's not exactly my type" He kissed her forehead.

"Well she must have been once" Kat pondered what his type was. Her maybe? Hopefully.

"No she was just ... I was upset, confused. I needed someone and she just drew the short straw" He look guilty he knew that she was just an opportunity that he took advantage of.

"I wouldn't exactly call a guy like you the short straw" She wasn't sure if she should have said that out loud.

"Yeah, a hunter who's never in one place for more than a week with serious family issues. What a catch" Kat frowned at his statement; he clearly didn't think much of himself. Nowhere near as much as Sam and Kat thought of him.

"Well I still love you" She giggled.

"Yeah I know you do, I love you too" He kissed her temple and tucked a stray strand of her hair behind her ear.

"Even though I'm a weirdo?" She looked into his beautiful green eyes.

"Especially because you're a weirdo" They laughed neither of them willing to take the 'I love you' statement as more than a joke between very close friends. Dean's phone broke the laughter and forced him to remove his hands from her body. Kat pulled her Aerosmith hoodie up onto her shoulder and zipped it up. Dean turned to her with a puzzled look on his face.

"What is it sweetie?"

"Guy's been found, every bone crushed. Internal organs turned to pudding. The cops are all stumped, but it's almost like something ran him over"

"The truck?"

"No tracks and the victims white" Dean and Kat shared a mutual sigh.

"He doesn't fit the pattern" Kat stood up.

"And the killing didn't happen up on the road either. It just doesn't fit"

Kat and Dean sat in the newsroom, Kat was on the computer and Dean sat upon the desk next to her. They were laughing and play fighting when Cassie walked in. She handed Dean a coffee. He looked down to Kat who raised her eyebrow at him along with a wicked smile. She didn't drink coffee anyway. She got her caffeine fix from Pepsi.

"What are you doing?" Kat wasn't sure if the question was directed at her but she answered anyway. "Were trying to find some link between those killings back in the sixties and what's going on now" Her tone was formal and cold. Her phone began to ring in her pocket, it was Sam. Dean and Cassie sat in silence as they listened to call. She listened intently to Sam and gave him a pleasant good bye. She looked up at Dean.

"Right sweetie, the courthouse records show that Mr. and Mrs. Mayor bought an abandoned property and the previous owner was the Dorian family, for, like, 150 years" Dean nodded and handed her his cup of coffee, she took it from him and sipped at it. He was shocked she usually turned him down. He smirked he liked the idea that she was jealous of Cassie even though she had no reason to be.

"Didn't you say the Dorian family used to own this paper?" Cassie was too distracted by the scene unfolding between them. She watched as they smiled at one another. Love.

"Along with most everything else around here" Kat answered for her and passed the cup back to him. "This Cyrus Dorian—he vanished in April of '63. The case was investigated but never solved. That's right around the time the string of murders was going on back then" She smiled, she enjoyed puzzles and they had just found the next big piece. "Sam pulled a bunch of paper up on the Dorian place; it must have been in bad shape when the mayor bought it"

"Why is that?" Dean never took his eyes off her and Cassie never took her eyes off of him.

"The first thing he did was bulldoze the place" She put her phone into her pocket and turned to the computer. The sound of her lightening speed typing replaced the silence off the room.

"Bingo! Third of last month. You thinking what I'm thinking sweetie?" She smirked.

"The first killing was the very next day"

"Yahtzee" She winked.

They returned to their motel room and ordered dinner, Kat had a long hot shower and got into bed leaving Dean watching some rubbish late night game show on the small television set that sat in the corner of the dull room. Sam was already asleep his nightmares seemed to have become more scarce. He snored lightly. Kat got into the single bed that her and Dean shared and took her iron supplements from her black duffle bag she swallowed them and lay down in the bed.

"Sweet dreams KitKat" Dean blew her a kiss.

"Night night" She turned on her side and closed her eyes. Her slumber was short lived as Dean's mobile blasted her and Sam into consciousness.

"What is it?" Kat sat up rubbing her eyes, the blankets falling off of her curvaceous figure revealing her lack of clothing. In any other circumstance Dean would have let her skimpy camisole and short, shorts distract him. Well it distracted him a little bit but not as much as it would have done if he had not just received that phone call.

"It's Cassie; she's just had a run in with the truck"

The gang sat in Cassie's living room along with Cassie and her mother. Kat sat next to Dean resting her head on his shoulder; she wanted to go back to the motel and sleep.

"You didn't see who was driving the truck?" Dean questioned. Cassie shook her head.

"Seemed to be no one. Everything was moving so fast. And then it was just gone. Why didn't it kill us?"

"Whoever's controlling the truck wants you afraid first" Kat sat up, stretched and pulled Dean's jacket closer to her body. It was his black one that she loved on him but then again she would love it off of him even more.

"Mrs. Robinson, Cassie said that your husband saw the truck before he died" She ignored Sam's question.

"Mom?"

"Mm?" She responded Cassie looked at her curiously. "Oh, Martin was under a lot of stress. You can't be sure what he was seeing"

"Well, after tonight, I think we can be reasonably sure that he was seeing a truck. What happened tonight—you and Cassie are marked. Okay? And your daughter could die. So, if you know something, now would be a really good time to tell us about it" Kat didn't mean it to sound as harsh as it did but she didn't really care she didn't like Cassie (but not enough to want her dead) and she wanted to go back to sleep.

"Yes. Yes, he said he saw a truck" Kat smiled at her triumph.

"Did he know who it belonged to?" Dean asked.

"He thought he did" Mrs. Robinson sipped her tea.

"Who was that?" Sam smiled. Mrs. Robinson attempted to choke back tears.

"Cyrus. A man named Cyrus" Dean and Kat exchanged looks and she reached into the pocket of his jacket and took out the article from the research they did on computer earlier and showed it to her.

"Is this Cyrus?"

"Cyrus Dorian died more than 40 years ago" Dean and Kat exchanged surprised glances.

"How do you know he died, Mrs. Robinson?" Kat raised her eyebrow; she could tell that she was lying. "The paper said he went missing. How do you know he died?"

"We were all very young. I dated Cyrus a while, but I was also seeing Martin. In secret, of course. Interracial couples didn't go over too well then. When I broke it off with Cyrus, and when he found out about Martin….I don't know, he—he changed. His hatred—his hatred was frightening" Sam leaned over to Kat.

"The string of murders" He whispered to her.

"There were rumours. People of colour disappearing in some kind of a truck. But nothing was ever done" She started to cry. "Martin and I, we were, uh, going to be married in that little church near here. But last minute, we decided to elope, cause we didn't want the attention"

"And Cyrus?" Dean flashed her his gorgeous smile as she began to cry even more.

"The day we set for the wedding was….the day someone set fire to the church. There was a children's choir practicing in there. They all died"

"Did the attacks stop after that?" Sam asked softly.

"No. There was one more. One night, that truck came for Martin. Cyrus beat him something terrible. But Martin, you see, Martin got loose. And he started hitting Cyrus, and he just kept hitting him and hitting him" She sobs and is unable to go on.

"Why didn't he call the cops?" Dean seemed confused she looked at him strangely. Kat and Sam sighed. He knew so much about hunting but so little about everything else.

"This was forty years ago! He called on his friends, Clayton Solmes and Jimmy Anderson, and they put Cyrus' body into the truck and rolled it into the swamp at the edge of this land, and all three of them kept that secret all this years!" She shouted at Dean hysterically.

"And now all three are gone" Kat stated.

"So is Mayor Todd. Now, he said that you, of all people, would know that he is not a racist. Why would he say that?" Sam was the one who encountered the mayor and so he questioned Mrs. Robinson.

"He was a good man. He was a young deputy back then, investigating Cyrus' disappearance. Once he figured out what Martin and the others had done, he….he did nothing. Because he also knew what Cyrus had done" She continued to cry silently. Cassie burst into tears.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She stood up and turned to face her mother.

"I thought I was protecting them. And now there's no one left to protect" She began to sob again.

"Yes, there is" Kat looked over to Cassie and Mrs. Robinson took her daughter's hand.

Kat, Sam and Dean stood outside of the house around the Impala. Kat sat on the hood and the boys stood either side of her.

"My life was so simple. Just school. Exams. Papers on polycentric cultural norms" They all chuckled. Normal wasn't something that they had been familiar with for a very, very long time.

"So, I guess we saved you from a boring existence" Dean nodded towards Kat and they smiled at Sam.

"Yeah, occasionally, I miss boring" They all paused for a second; nostalgia of times gone by where things were simple. But then again to Kat simple was another word for boring.

"Alright, so, this killer truck-" Dean began and Kat laughed.

"I miss conversations that didn't start with "this killer truck"" Dean nodded at her and chuckled.

"Alright, well, this Cyrus guy…."

"Yeah" Kat smiled.

"Evil on a level that infected even his truck. And when he died, the swamp became his tomb. And the spirit was dormant for forty years" Dean and Kat exchanged looks. Sam loved it when they did that, through glances they could exchange their hunting knowledge and reach a conclusion in complete silence. It was amazing how much they knew between them.

"So, what woke it up?" Sam questioned.

"The construction on his house. Or, the destruction?" Sam looked over to Kat. As smart as Dean was when it came to hunting Kat seemed to know more.

"Right. Demolition or remodelling can awaken spirits, make 'em restless. Like that theatre in Illinois" Just as Sam expected she knew a previous case, for someone so young to know this much. It made him ponder what horrors she had witnessed in her twenty-something years. He wasn't sure exactly how old she was but she was pretty sure she was around the same age as Dean. Twenty-six give or take.

"Yeah. And the guy who tears down the family homestead, Harold Todd, is the same guy that kept Cyrus' murder quiet and unsolved"

"Oh double whammy" Kat got off of the hood and stretched. "So, now his spirit is awakened, and out for blood"

"Yeah, I guess. Who knows what ghosts are thinking anyway?"

"You know we're gonna have to dredge that body up from the swamp, right?" Dean smiled falsely and nodded at them both.

"Oh, man" Sam sighed.

"You said it" Dean looked over to Kat.

"Right so why don't you guys go drag the corpse out of the swamp and I'll keep an eye on this place"

"Be careful, call me if you say anything suspicious right?" Dean held her face in his hands delicately, she smiled and nodded.

"I promise I will call but do you mind if I avoid getting ran over first?" Dean pretended to think about her inquiry.

"Err ... yeah but as soon as you jump out of the way I want a phone call" He kissed the tip of her nose.

"Got it: avoid death and call. I think I can handle that" They smiled at one another, Sam cleared his throat and they separated.

"Take care"

"Bye guy's, have fun"

Sam and Dean pulled off; waving to Kat through the windows as they headed towards the swamp.

"Well this must be awkward for you" Sam turned to Dean, he was staring at Kat through the rear-view mirror. "Dean; she'll be fine"

"I know, she'll be fine" He was saying it more to himself than Sam.

"But her and Cassie in the same room I mean that's a risk" Sam was smirking and Dean knew he was enjoying this.

"Cassie was nothing ok?" He shrugged to emphasise his point.

"And Kat is?" Sam raised his eyebrow.

"IS what?" Dean played dumb.

"Something?" He smiled.  
"I ... shut up Sam" He hit his brother around the back of the head.

Kat leaned against a very large tree that sat at the bottom of the Robinsons garden. She didn't have perfect twenty-twenty vision but the darkness that was slowly but surely creeping up on her had no effect just yet. She heard the front door open and footsteps approached. Cassie. She knew it, her hearing was as precise.

"Can I help you?" Kat stopped her in her tracks half way up the path.

"I was just coming out here to talk to you" She sounded like she had no idea why.

"Right, well I'm just here to keep an eye on your family, make sure you're safe" Kat avoided eye contact with her and continued to stare at the full moon.

"I appreciate that, I really do ... I know that I wasn't exactly welcoming to you, and I know that was wrong because you came here to help me and my town. It's just it was hard" Her words intrigued Kat.

"Well your forgiven and I'm sorry I can be a little sarcastic at times... and when I say little I mean like really, really sarcastic. Dean's always ..." The look on Cassie's face stopped her in mid sentence. "I'm sorry I didn't mean too-"

"No it's ... it's not you ... it's just ... it's just that seeing him with you it- it's made me realise that he never really loved me" She looked away from Kat.

"Excuse me?" That sentence definitely got Kat's attention.

"The way he looks at you, smiles at you, holds you ... he never looked at me like that. He stares at you like you're the most beautiful thing he has ever seen"

"Yeah well it's ... complicated" Kat sighed.

"How? You love him?" She raised her eyebrow at Kat.

"Yeah" She sighed. "I think so" Jack may have just been a school girl crush mixed with a little infatuation. She's changed since then; completely. She was not the same person who stood helpless while the people she loved died around her.

"Well then, what's stopping you?" She had no idea of the mysterious murders of every woman loved by a Winchester and as the shape-shifter pointed out Dean had serious abandonment issues.

"Many things" They smiled at one another. A smile of sadness at unrequited love.

"You wanna come inside and rest, you've been out here all night" Cassie gestured to her house with her thumb.

"Yes, thank you" They entered the house and Cassie provided her with food and bed.

"Kat, Kitkat come on rise and shine baby" Dean stroked her head. He kissed her forehead and she opened her eyes.

"Hey, what time is it?" She rubbed her eyes and pulled her thick black rimmed glasses out of her bag and placed them on her face. Dean loved it when she had them on; the secretary look.

"Around 10, were leaving" He stood up.

"Leaving? Did you stop the truck?" She got out of the bed and picked up her jacket.

"Yeah of-course, you expect anything less?" He smirked.

"No I didn't" She smiled at him.

"Come on let's get out of here" He put his arm around her and escorted her out of the house.

They stood by the Impala as Cassie came to see them off. She opened her arms and Kat stepped in for a hug. Dean and Sam exchanged shocked glances at the scene unfolding.

"Thank you"

"Don't thank me I was asleep for most of it" They laughed.

"Hey here's my cell phone number if you ever want to talk" Cassie handed Kat a little white card.

"Thanks take care of yourself" They hugged again.

"I will" She turned to Sam and Dean. "Bye guy's thanks" She walked away and Kat turned to face Dean. He was still in shock. She took his sun glasses from his head, removed her glasses and placed them on her face; she put her hand in his pocket and fetched the keys to the Impala and began to make her way to the driver's side. She got in leaving the boys to contemplate Dean's ex and his possible new girlfriend getting along. Aerosmith Blasted from inside the car and Kat's melodic voice sang along to Amazing. Sam smiled.

"She's awesome" He laughed at Dean.

"I know" He smiled; that rare no-smirk smile that Kat cherished as she hardly got to see it. The brothers got in the car; Kat was using the rear-view mirror to put in her contacts. She finished and turned to face them.

"Right boy's, where to?"


	14. Chapter 14

"OK, its official were going to hell" Kat sighed; the three musketeers sat in the Impala outside the Miller family's home in Saginaw, Michigan. Sam and Dean were dressed as ministers.

"Got a better idea babe?" Dean raised his eyebrow at her from his seat in the driver's side.

"I suppose not" She got out and smoothed down her black pinstripe skirt, she slid on the matching jacket as they began to approach the drive.

"I can't believe were about to do this" She put on her thick rimmed glasses and rang the door bell. They had been awakened this morning by a terrified Sam who had witnessed in the form of a dream the murder of Jim Miller in his garage. Police are claiming a suicide but Sam still insisted that there was something sinister going on. They had speed down to Michigan to investigate. Dean figured that the only way to get personal information from the family is to pose as minister and a psychiatrist.

"She's right Dean, this has got to be a whole new low for us" Sam sighed but quickly adjusted his features as the front door opened. A man they knew to be Jim's brother stood before them.

"Good afternoon. I'm Father Simmons, this is Father Frehley. We're new junior priests over at St. Augustine's. This is Dr. Benatar; she's a psychiatrist who specialises in grief counselling. May we come in?" Dean smiled and Roger nodded. "Tanks"  
"We're very sorry for your loss" Kat smiled weakly at him as they stepped into the hall way.

Back at the motel they were beginning to pool their resources and discuss what they had learnt from the visit to the house.

"So no history of depression, nothing unusual going on in the house, no weird leaks, electrical shortages, Odd noises at night" Kat spun her silver Irish Calder ring around her slender finger as she went through the list.  
"Yeah and I checked every room on the top floor of that house and the thermal scanner came up with zilch" Dean sighed.  
"So, what do we have?" Sam looked up at them both with wide eyes filled with despair. Kat frowned; she knew he wanted to get to the bottom of this for his own sanity more than anything else.  
"A whole lot of nothing. Nothing bad has happened to the Miller house since it was built" Dean slammed down on to his bed. Kat gave him a look from across the room. A shut-the-hell-up-and-be-nice-to-your-brother look.

"What about the land?" Sam turned to Kat.  
"No graveyards, battlefields, tribal lands, or any other kind of atrocity on or near the property" She smiled at him. "Don't worry we'll figure this out"  
"Hey, guys, I told you I searched that house up and down. There were no cold spots, no sulphur scent, nada" He clearly did see the point in discussing it further and Kat thought she knew the reason; he didn't like the idea of Sam having these strange vision. Dean's philosophy; out of sight out of mind.

"And the family said everything was normal?" Sam questioned him.

"Well, I mean, if there was a demon or a poltergeist in there, don't you think somebody would've noticed something? I used the infrared thermal scanner, man, there was nothing" Kat sighed and threw her hands in the air. Sometimes Dean was so insensitive.

"What?" He raised his eye brow at her.

"You, Sam is clearly upset by this case and ignoring it is not going to make it go away" They locked stares. Her stormy grey meeting his beautiful green.

"And this is my fault how?" His voice softened. He couldn't stay mad at her.

"I'm not blaming you sweetie, I'm just saying that you could be a little more considerate" She half smiled at him, he smiled back. Unfortunately that was the calm before the storm. Sam began to clutch his head in pain.

"Sam, Sammy sweetie are you alright?" Kat managed to catch him and ease him onto the ground. He inhaled sharply.

"My head!" He screamed in pain, Dean grabbed him by the shoulders.

"Sam? Hey. Hey! What's goin' on? Talk to me "Sam looked horrified. He began to pant and sweat was pouring from his forehead, he looked terrified.  
"It's happening again. Something's gonna kill Roger Miller" Panic filled his voice.

Kat took her usual seat in the front of the Impala, Dean was speeding down the road and Sam was on the phone attempting to find the address.  
"Roger Miller … No, no, just the address, please … Okay. Thanks" He hung up and leaned over into the front of the car. "450 West Grove, Apartment 1120"

"You okay?" Dean asked, Kat sighed. What a stupid question.  
"Yeah" Lie!  
"If you're gonna hurl, I'll pull the car over, you know, 'cause the upholstery -" Kat rolled her eyes at Dean.  
"I'm fine" He assured Dean and smiled at Kat. She knew it wasn't genuine.  
"Alright" He shrugged at Kat.  
"Just drive sweetie" She smirked at him.  
"Alright" He returned her smirk. At any other time he would have been so turned on by the look on her face; very naughty. But right now he had more pressing matters. The same general thoughts were running through Kat's head except she didn't have a pile of insecurity issues. Sam's announcement interrupted their train of thought.  
"Dean, I'm scared, man. These nightmares weren't bad enough, now I'm seein' things when I'm awake? And these visions, or whatever, they're getting more intense. And painful"  
"Come on, man, it'll be alright. You'll be fine" Dean sounded more like he was trying to convince himself than Sam.

"What is it about the Millers? Why am I connected to them? Why am I watching them die? Why the hell is this happening to me?"  
"I don't know, Sam, but we'll figure it out, okay? We face the unexplainable every single day, this is just another thing" Dean nodded again convincing himself that what he was saying was true.  
"No. It's never been us. It's never been in the family like this. Tell the truth, you can't tell me this doesn't freak you out" Dean and Kat paused to conceder their answers.  
"This doesn't freak me out" Dean and Kat agreed in unison.  
They arrived at Roger Millers apartment building and skidded to a halt.

"Kat, stay here keep watch, Sam let's go" Dean nodded to her. She winked and he began to run in the direction of the apartment. After about ten minutes the boys appeared. Kat rolled down the window but she didn't need to ask she could tell by the look on Sam's face that it didn't turn out the way they had hoped. By the time they reached the car they were half way through a conversation.

"I'm tellin' you, there was nothing in there. There's no signs either, just like the Millers' house" Dean got into the driver's side as per usual.

"I saw something in the vision, like a dark shape. Something was stalking Roger"  
"Well, whatever it was, we can be sure it's not connected to their house" Kat sighed.  
"No, it's connected to the family itself. So, what do you think we got? A vengeful spirit?" Dean directed his question to Kat as he started the car.

"Yeah, there are a few cases where a spirit has been known to latch onto families and follow them for years"  
"Banshees" Came Sam's input from the backseat.  
"Basically like a curse. So, maybe Roger and Jim Miller got involved in something heavy. Something curse-worthy" Dean turned the corner.  
"And now something's out for revenge. And the men in their family are dying. Hey, you think Max is in danger?" Kat turned to face Sam in the back,  
"Let's figure it out before he is" The car came to a halt in front of their motel.  
"Well, I know one thing I have in common with these people" Sam opened the door and got out.

"What's that?" Dean asked him through the open window.  
"Both our families are cursed" Sam frowned.  
"Our family's not cursed. We just … had our dark spots" Sam laughed. Kat frowned if he didn't think they were cursed why did he not tell her how he felt? Maybe he doesn't feel the same way? She frowned.  
"Our dark spots are pretty dark" Sam started to walk towards the main entrance.  
"You're—dark!" He shouted at Sam.

"Oh burn" Kat shook her head and got out of the car. They made their way into their room. Kat fell onto the bed and grabbed a hold of the pillow and closed her eyes. It had been two days since she had, had a decent night sleep and being Anemic that didn't go down very well. Dean kissed her temple and pulled the blanket over her.

"Come on Sammy; let's go back talk to Max. See what we missed the first time"

"Kat, Kat babe wake up" Dean kissed her forehead as her eyes opened to meet his. She smiled, his face inches from hers.

He sat up.

"What happened?" She rubbed her eyes and sat up; the covers fell off of her body. Dean took his time taking it all in and a smile appeared on his face. He met her gaze and she smirked.

"You like, what you see?" She bit her bottom lip; he loved it when she did that. Such a turn on.

"Well as a matter of fact I do" She was shocked at his answer. What happened to the insecurity and not wanting her to end up dead on the ceiling? He cupped her face in his hands and caressed her cheek. "Sam's gone to check on Max ... he won't be back for a while"

"Well I'm sure we can find something ... productive to do" She smirked and pulled him closer to her by the collar of his tatty old leather jacket. At last it has served a purpose. She slouched down in the bed and pulled him on top of her. He hesitated. "Dean, it's ok, I love you and I'm not going anywhere" She smiled, he seemed confused as to how she knew about his concerns. She had never told him what the shape shifter had told her.

"I love you too" And then it happened what she had been waiting for, for the just under a year. His soft lips crashed onto hers. It was bliss. She slid her hands down his chest, lingering on his toned abs. She slipped his jacket off of his shoulders; he broke the kiss to throw it onto the floor. She giggled to herself.

"What?" He raised his eyebrow at her.  
"I always thought that the only way that jacket would look good was on my bed room floor" She smirked and leant back down to continue where he left off. He began to kiss his way down her neck until he reached the soft spot where her necks meet her shoulder. She moaned in pleasure and wrapped her legs around his waist, this only encouraged him. He continued to suck as she squirmed beneath him. Her slender fingers found their way to the buttons on his navy shirt. She slid it off of his shoulders and slowly undid his belt. He responded by removing her own over sized t-shirt and planting kisses around her belly button. He looked up into her eyes; they were filled with passion and desire he tugged on her pants and then ... her phone rang. She sat up panting for breath. She scrambled for her phone and answered Dean's call.

"Hey" She attempted to say breathlessly.

"Babe are you ok?" He sounded very concerned if only he knew he was the cause of her breathlessness.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine just ... another dream"

"Oh you ok?" He knew that she was still haunted by nightmares depicting the death of her parents and Jack.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine" She pushed the stray strands of her chocolate brown hair over her ear.

"Good, anyway it's Max"

"Max Miller?" Kat was shocked.

"Sam had another vision said he it looked like he was using telekinesis" Dean didn't sound too convinced.  
"He's psychic?" Kat stood up and walked over to the window. "So what are we gonna do?"  
"He's no different than anything else we've hunted" Dean's words caught her off guard.  
"Dean we can't kill Max" Kat knew that he must have considered all other options but she couldn't believe that he was suggesting this.  
"Then what? I hand him over to the cops and say, "Lock him up, officer, he kills with the power of his mind.""  
"Forget it Dean he's a person. We can talk to him and I'm the only one aloud to use sarcasm" She picked up a fresh pair of jeans and a plain black top from her bag.  
"Alright, fine. But I'm not lettin' him hurt anybody else Kat" She knew it was serious when he called her Kat.

"I'll meet you there" She walked over to the bathroom.

"Alright be careful"

"You too" She quickly got changed, brushed her hair and teeth and made her way over to the Miller residence. The dream that she had, had previously replayed in her mind. She attempted to forget about it but she failed. But as soon as she reached the house she entered hunter mode. The front door was wide open and she heard a gunshot echo from inside the building. She ran into the house, the living room was empty and she heard sobbing from the room above her. She bolted for the stairs. She stopped dead in her tracks; Blood. The smell entered her nose and she began to feel queasy, her vision became impaired. Dean came out of the room and she got a glimpse of Max lying on the floor with a bullet hole in his head.

"Kat, Kat babe you alright" He ushered her down the stairs and sat her on the sofa in the living room.

"Dean did you, did you shoot, - M-" She rested her head on his muscular shoulder.

"No, he err ... shot himself in the head" He kissed her forehead and rested his head on top of hers. After giving a statement to the police the gang left the house and headed towards the Impala.

"If I just said somethin' else. Gotten through to him somehow" Sam shook his head.  
"Sweetie don't do that to yourself not again" Kat put her arms around his waist as she couldn't reach his neck.  
"It wouldn't have mattered what you said, Max was too far gone" Dean half-heartedly smiled at them both.  
"When I think about how he looked at me, man, right before—should've done something"

"Come on, man, you risked your life. I mean, yeah, maybe if we had gotten there twenty years earlier" They got into the car.  
"Well, I'll tell you one thing; we're lucky we had Dad" Kat was shocked at Sam's words.  
"I never thought I'd hear you say that" Dean smiled.  
"Well, he could've gone a whole 'nother way after Mom. A little more tequila, a little less demon-hunting, and we would've had Max's childhood. All things considered, we turned out okay ... thanks to him" Dean paused.  
"All things considered" Was his final reply.

"Kat, Kat babe wake up" Dean kissed her forehead as her eyes opened to meet his. She smiled, his face inches from hers. She blushed red as the memory of her dream entered her head.

He sat up.

"Were leaving, Sam's waiting in the car" He gestured to the Impala with his thumb and went to get up. She pulled on his arm causing him to sit back down on the bed.  
"Dean, I've been thinking"  
"Well, that's never a good thing" He smiled.  
"I'm serious. I've been thinking about this demon, or whatever it is, why would it kill your Mom and Jessica and Max's mother, you know, what does it want?" Kat kept her hold on his arm.  
"No idea. Don't worry" He kissed her forehead.  
"Well, you think maybe it was after them? After Max and Sam? He ruffled her hair.  
"Why would you think that?" He used the pads of his thumb to stroke her cheek.  
"I mean either telekinesis or premonitions, they both had abilities, and maybe it was after them for some reason"  
"Babe, if it wanted them, it would've just taken them, okay? Don't worry about it, it's not about Sam.  
"Then what is it about?" She frowned at him.  
"It's about that damn thing that did this to my family. The thing that we're gonna find, the thing that we're gonna kill. And that's all" His words were harsh but she knew it wasn't directed at her.

"Sorry I was just ... it's worth considering that's all"

"It's alright, I'll keep that in mind" He got up and walked over to the door. She got out of bed and looked over at the clock. It had been two hours since they had got back; she sighed and picked up her duffle bag and made her way out the door. The only thing she missed about her old life was a comfortable bed.

After about an hour on the road in complete silence Sam spoke up.

"Guy's there was something else I forgot to mention" Kat and Dean exchanged a worried look.  
"Oh, jeez, what?" Dean; attempting to combat the seriousness of the situation with a joke. Kat rolled her eyes.  
"When Max locked me in that closet, that big cabinet against the door—I moved it" Dean laughed, Kat turned to face Sam.  
"You've got a little bit more upper body strength than I give you credit for" Dean continued.  
"No Dean, Sam sweetie do you mean you moved it like Max?" Kat understood what it was like to have strange abilities she after all saw the reapers.  
"Yeah" Sam closed his eyes and rested his head in his hands. Dean grabbed a spoon from the dash board it was from Kat's yoghurt earlier. He held it up to Sam.  
"Bend this"  
"Dean" Kat began to give Dean another speech concerning sensitivity but was cut off by Sam.  
"I can't turn it on and off, Dean"  
"Well, how'd you do it?" He asked avoiding Kat's glare.  
"I don't know, I can't control it. I saw you die, and it just came out of me, like a punch. You know, like a freak adrenaline thing" Dean put the spoon down.

"Die! What?" Kat looked at them both.  
"See I told you not to mention it to her and I'm sure it won't happen again" Dean nodded.  
"Yeah, maybe. Aren't you worried, man, aren't you worried that I could turn into Max or something?" Sam questioned his brother and Kat knew that Dean was not going to give him the answer that he desired.  
"Nope. No way. You know why?" Dean raised his eyebrow and Sam and Kat exchanged a curious glance.  
"No. Why?" Sam humoured him.  
"Cause you've got one advantage that Max didn't have" Kat rolled her eyes she knew where this was going; John.  
"Dad? Because Dad's not here, Dean" Sam sounded disappointed. No. Us" He looked over to Kat and smiled. "As long as were around, nothing bad is gonna happen to you. Now then, I know what we need to do about your premonitions. I know where we have to go" Kat smiled at him.

"Where?" Kat and Sam responded.  
"Vegas" He smiled. Sam scoffed "What? Come on, man. Craps table. We'd clean up"

"Right about the whole dying thing?"


	15. Chapter 15

The gang were in a bar; Sam was sitting at a table looking at the research he had conducted into a local disappearance. Kat and Dean were playing darts nearby.

"So, local police have now ruled out foul play. Apparently, there are worse signs of a struggle" Sam took a gulp from his beer.

"Well, they could be right; it could just be a kidnapping. Maybe this isn't our kind of gig" Dean threw his dart.

"Yeah, maybe not. Except for this, Dad marked the area, Dean" Dean and Kat went over to the table and looked at the journal.

"Possible hunting grounds of a phantom attacker" Kat read quietly.

"Why would he even do that?" Dean took a seat next to Sam.

"Well, he found a lot of local folklore about a dark figure that comes out at night. Grabs people, and then vanishes. He found this too this county has more missing persons per capita than anywhere else in the state"

"That is weird" Kat took the journal from Sam and sat on a stool to scan the page. Dean placed his hands on her waist and read over her shoulder.

"Yeah" Sam agreed.

"Don't phantom attackers usually snatch people from their beds? Jenkins was taken from a parking lot" Dean questioned Kat.

"Well, there are all kinds. You know, Springhill Jacks, phantom gassers. They take people anywhere, anytime" Kat gave it back to Sam and stood up to throw her next dart.

"Look, Dean, I don't know if this is our kind of gig either" Sam closed it and put it into his pocket.

"Bull's-eye" Kat turned and stuck her tongue out at Dean.

"Yeah, you're right, we should ask around more tomorrow" Dean smiled at Kat and stood up to take his next turn.

"Right I saw a motel about five miles back" Sam stood up and removed his wallet from his jean pocket.

"Whoa, whoa, easy. Let's have another round" Dean looked over to Kat and then back to Sam.

"We should get an early start" Sam put his jacket on and tucked his chair under the table.

"Yeah, you really know how to have fun, don't you, Grandma?" Sam smiled at him.

"I agree, I'm beat ... well technically your beat" Kat shook her darts at him.

"Alright, I'll meet you outside, I gotta take a leak" Dean grabbed his coat and headed to the bathroom. Sam gathered his research and him and Kat made their way to the exit.

"Oh I forgot my hoodie, you carry on and I'll meet you at the car" Kat gestured for him to carry on and went to collect her hoodie from the back of Dean's former chair. She then went outside to join Sam.

"Sammy!" She looked around but the parking lot was empty. "Sammy? This isn't funny" Then it all went black.

Kat's eyes flickered open, complete darkness. Her head throbbed, she placed her palm over the wound, a tiny spot of blood sat on her hand. She struggled to sit up. She hadn't had a chance to take her iron supplements and she was paying for it now. Her strength was depleted, but her head was beginning to feel better. After a few minutes of sitting in the darkness her vision had adjusted and she could vaguely see a moving shape opposite her.

"Sam? Sammy is that you?" She shifted forward and placed her hands on the cold iron bars that formed her cage.

"Kat!" Sam's voice responded.

"Yeah it's me are you ok sweetie?" That made Sam smile; she was the mother he never had.

"It's you I'm worried about, have you taken your tablets?" She put her hand into the pocket of her jeans. One loan tablet sat at the bottom along with her cherry lip balm.

"I've got one the rest are in Dean's back pocket" She smiled remembering how they came to be there.

"Hey Kat, come on babe were going out" Dean handed her, her coat.

"Where?" Kat smiled and got up off of her bed.

"A bar, I'm buying" He waved this wallet at her.

"Deal" She leaned over to the bedside table and Dean took this as a perfect opportunity to look at her ass. She turned to look at him and he quickly looked down at his boots. He picked up his jacket from the bottom of her bed.  
"Dean, will you put these in your pocket please?" She held her iron supplements out to him. Dean held his hands up and turned to the side.

"Yeah put em' in my back pocket" He smirked. Kat sighed pretending that touching his ass was going to be a burden.

"Hello" another voice came from the darkness. Kat put the pill into her mouth and swallowed.

"Jenkins? ... Alvin Jenkins?" Sam could clearly see him from his cage but Kat was on the other side of the room. "You're alive? Hey, you ok?"

"Does it look like I'm doin' okay?" Kat scoffed at his comment.

"We got into this mess whilst looking for you the least you could do is be polite" She sat up slowly and leaned against the bars.

"Sorry" He didn't sound sincere.

"Where are we?" Sam questioned.

"I don't know. The country, I think. Smells like the country" Jenkins shifted in his cage. "So you, miss are you a cop?"

"Something like that. Names Kat, he's Sam"

"Well, no offense, but this is a piss-poor rescue"

"We next time we won't bother" Anger radiated from Kat and Sam could tell.

"Well, my brother's out there right now, too. He's lookin' for us. So—"

"So, he's not gonna find us. We're in the middle of nowhere waiting for them to come back and do God-knows-what to us" Kat rested her head against the bars of her cage; the cool metal eased her head ache.

"What are they? Have you seen them?" Sam sounded worried.

"What are you talking about?" Jenkins was obviously thrown off by his question and that's the last thing Kat heard before she lost consciousness.

"Kat, Kat, Kat" Sam called out to her repeatedly. She shot up instantly.

"What is it Sammy, what's going on?" She sat up and stretched. Her medicine had kicked in and she was ready to get out of there. She reached into her hair and bulled out a grip. Kat began to pick at the lock on her cage.

"Jenkins is dead" Sam moved over to the edge of his cage. "Listen Kat, there human"

"... Right so what do we know?" She continued to pick at the lock.

"They feed us once a day. And they use that thing over there to open the cage" He gestured to a panel on the wall.

"So what's the plan?" She took Sam by surprise; normally it would be either her or Dean who would invent some grand scheme to save them.

"You want me to get us out of here?" He sounded shocked.

"I'm not your brother Sam. I know you're not the little kid he see's you as ... and besides you've been conscious for longer than I have so I assume you've taken a good look around" She giggled.

"A - Are you Sam Winchester?" A groggy female voice spoke out to them.

"Yeah"

"Your, uh, your cousin's looking for you" Relief washed over them both.

"Thank God. Where is he?" Sam moved over to the other side to get closer to the unknown woman.

"I, uh—I cuffed him to my car" Kat heard a tiny click and the lock on her cage opened.

"Yeah that sounds about right" Kat sighed as the door swung open.

"Aww come on babe you didn't think I'd give up on ya' that easy did ya?" A face appeared in-front of her.

"Dean!" He cupped her face in his hand, he reached into his pocket. "Here you go babe" He handed her, her bottle of pills. "Are you hurt?" His voice filled with anger at the prospect.

"Err" She touched the back of her head where her previous wound had been. Nothing. Her beautiful face twisted into confusion. Maybe it was someone else's blood. "No, no I'm fine"

"Damn, it's good to see you sweetie" They smiled brightly at one another. Then reality kicked in.

"How did you get out of the cuffs?" Dean turned around to the mystery woman.

"Oh, I know a trick or two" He then turned to the next cage. "Sammy you ok?"

"Yeah I'm alright" He moved to the door of Kat's cage. He frowned as he examined the lock. "Oh, these locks look like they're gonna be a bitch"

"Tell me about it, it took me ten minutes" Kat pushed her door open and Dean assisted her onto her feet.

"There's some kind of automatic control right there" Sam pointed to the control panel.

"Have you seen 'em?" Dean questioned them both as Kat attempted to pick Sam's lock.

"Yeah. Dude, they're just people" Sam held the lock steady for her.

"And they jumped you? Must be gettin' a little rusty there, kiddo and you Kitkat I'm surprised" Dean walked over to the control panel and started to push random buttons.

"What do the freaks want?" The grip Kat was using to free Sam snapped. "Fudge cakes!" Kat stood up and threw the remnants of her grip onto the floor.

"I don't know. They let Jenkins go, but that was some sort of trap. It doesn't make any sense to me" Sam sighed.

"Well, that's the hard part. You know, with our usual ... playmates, there's rules, there's patterns. But with people, they're just ... crazy" Kat pulled her hair into a messy pony tail and began to examine her jewellery. Nothing was missing. "Well they haven't taken anything valuable" Three pairs of earrings (pentacle studs, small silver studs and rubies) , one pentacle (Dull silver on a black string), her silver cross with black onyx's stones, three silver rings (Silver pentacle, silver Irish Calder and a plain silver thumb ring) and several bracelets containing various charms. Her money was still tucked into her lacy black bra and her phone was in the Impala.

"See anything else out there?" Sam questioned Dean.

"Uh, he has about a dozen junked cars hidden out back. Plates from all over, so I'm thinkin' when they take someone, they take their car, too" Dean continued to press the buttons.

"Did you see a black Mustang out there? About ten years old?" The mystery woman questioned Dean.

"Yeah, actually, I did" Her face dropped. "Your brother's?" Dean questioned and she nodded. "I'm sorry" Dean paused. "Let's get you guys out of here, then we'll take care of those bastards" Dean was beginning to get frustrated with the panel. Kat removed his hands from it and moved in front of him. She pointed to the control panel.

"Sammy, any idea where the key is for this contraption?"

"I don't know"

"Alright, we better go find it" Kat and Dean turned to leave.

"Hey!" Sam's words made them stop in their tracks, they turned to face him. "Be careful"

"Yeah" Dean smiled.

"Don't worry sweetie I'll look after him" She winked and they made their way outside.

They made their way into the house. They found themselves in a dark room. Dean turned on a flash light and examined their surroundings. The room was filled with shelves of jars and bottles, which contained various body parts. Dean picked up a container filled with an unrecognizable item.

"Yikes" He placed it back on the shelf and took Kat's hand. "Come on let's get out of here"

"Dean, look" Kat gestured to wall full of Polaroid pictures. Each photo showed two men standing next to a dead body. Dean noticed a picture of them holding Jenkins corpse.

"I'll say it again—demons I get. People are crazy" Kat nodded and pulled him towards a flight of stairs.

"You hear that?" Kat put her hand on his chest to stop him.

"No ... you have excellent hearing babe"

"Shush, there's someone up there" She began to slowly ascend the stairs with Dean hot on her trail.

"Let's split up. You take that room and I'll take this one" Kat pointed to the doors in turn.

"Right, be careful babe"

"Ditto" She winked and made her way into the room, it resembled an office.

"What do unhinged psycho killers need an office for?" She whispered to herself as she searched through the many draws and cupboards. A smile lit her face as she located a baseball bat rested against the side of a huge wardrobe. The doors were hanging on to the hinges for dear life and the wood was rotting. A loud crashing noise echoed through the house. "Dean" She silently made her way back to the hallway. She ran into the kitchen, the living room door was ajar and she could hear the conversation going on between Dean and whoever it was that had him.

"Come on. Let us hunt him"

"Yeah, this one's a fighter. Sure would be fun to hunt" An older voice laughed at the comment.

"Oh, you gotta be kiddin' me. That's what this is about? You yahoos hunt people?" Kat closed her eyes, she expected him to receive a backhand for his attitude.

"You ever killed before?" His question was directed at Dean.

"Well, that depends on what you mean"

"I've hunted all my life. Just like my father, his before him. I've hunted deer and bear—I even got a cougar once. But the best hunt is human. Oh, there's nothin' like it. Holdin' their life in your hands. Seein' the fear in their eyes just before they go dark. Makes you feel powerful alive"

"You're a sick puppy" Kat agreed with Dean but she understood in a sick twisted way she also loved the thrill of a hunt.

"We give 'em a weapon. Give 'em a fightin' chance. It's kind of like our tradition passed down, father to son. Of course, only one or two a year. Never enough to bring the law down, we never been that sloppy"

"Yeah, well, don't sell yourself short. You're plenty sloppy" Kat waited but the sound of Dean wincing in pain was nonexistent.

"So, what you with that cop? Are you a cop?"

"If I tell you, you promise not to make me into an ashtray?" Kay winced as the punch finally came.

"Only reason I don't let my boys take you right here and now is that there's somethin' I need to know"

"Yeah, how 'bout it's not nice to marry your sister?" Kat suppressed a giggle.

"Tell me—any of the cops gonna come lookin' for you?"

"Oh, eat me. No, no, no, wait, wait—you actually might" Kat had to put her hands over her mouth to stop herself from laughing.

"You think this is funny? You brought this down on my family. Alright, you wanna play games? We'll play some games. Looks like we're gonna have a hunt tonight after all, boys ... and you get to pick the animal. The boy, the pretty girl or the cop?"

"Okay, wait, wait—look, nobody's comin' for me, alright? It's just us"

"You don't choose, I will" Dean screamed in pain. A tear slid down Kat's face, she closed her eyes.

"Oh, you son of a bitch!"

"Next time, I'll take an eye"

"Alright, the guy, the guy! Take the guy!"

"Lee, go do it. Don't let him out, though. Shoot him in the cage" Kat's eyes shot open.

"What? I thought you said you were gonna hunt him. You were gonna give him a chance"

"Lee, when you're done with the boy, shoot the bitch, too. But don't touch the pretty one. Save her for later. Better clean this mess up before any more cops come runnin' out here" Kat ran down the stairs and back out to the barn.

When she arrived at the barn, the door was wide open and she could hear Sam.

"What are you doing?" Lee unlocked his cage and walked towards him. He opened the cage door and aimed his gun "Hey!" The cop began to shout. Kat tightened her grip on the bat and hit him round the head. He fell on top of Sam.

"Damn Kat you scared the crap out of me"

"You're welcome" She held out her hand, he took it and she helped him to his feet.

"Lee!" A bombing voice called out.

"Quick hide" Kat ran behind a bale of hay. Sam placed Lee inside his previous cage. Two men enter, their guns raised.

"Lee! Where are ya? Lee!" They noticed Lee unconscious, locked in the cage. "Damn it, Jared, get the lights!" Jared moved over to the light switch and pushed it up. The barn remained dark.

"They must have blown the fuses" The other man tried the control panel but nothing happened. They moved into another room of the barn. The oldest man began to climb a ladder that lead to a balcony.

Kat moved to a cabinet, unseen by the younger man. She opened it, but a noise distracted her and she moved to the other side of the room covered by shadows. The man walked to the cabinet and fired his rifle several times at the doors. He then opened the cabinet, it was empty except tools. Kat took the opportunity to give him the same treatment she gave to Lee. She stepped over his unconscious form but stopped to pick up his riffle. The sound of shots firing came from over head.

"Hey!" Sam appeared at the door.

"Get down!" Kat shouted as the older man stood behind Sam with his weapon ready. Sam hit the floor and Kat shot him. He fell to the ground clutching his arm. "You alright Sammy?"

"Yeah, nice shot" He got up from the ground.

"Thanks. I'm gonna go and get Dean"

She made her way back inside the house. She ran upstairs on the lookout for any other crazy extended family members that may still be lurking around. She reached the living room door and slowly began to open it. Dean sat in the middle of the room tied to a dining room chair. Kat smirked; Dean tied up. That's exactly what every girl would like to see in their living room ... even better if it was their bed room. She shuck her head to remove her thoughts.

"Dean, sweetie are you ok?" Kat ran over to him and began to untie the ropes. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her silver pocket knife. "Didn't even check to see if I was armed" She cut the ropes and he stood up. He turned and wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm so sorry Kat" She put her arms around his neck.

"For what?" His apology caught her off guard.

"I should have gone out with you ... I could have, done ... something I-"

"Dean, this is not your fault, ok?" Kat rested her head on his shoulder.

"But I-"

"But nothing! Now come on let's get out of here" She took his hand and began to lead him to Sam. Unfortunately a little girl stood in her path.

"Hey sweetie, are you ok?" Kat bent down and opened her arms to the girl.

"Kat don't bother she's as twisted as the rest of her family" Dean put his hand on her shoulder to bring her back to his side.

"Oh alright then" Kat walked over to her, the little girl lunged forward kicking and punching. Kat grabbed her wrists, turned her around and threw her into the closet. Dean closed the doors and placed the dining room chair in front of the doors preventing her from escaping.

They made their way out of the front door and down the porch steps. The police officer and Sam joined them from the barn.

"Where's the girl?"

"I Locked her in a closet" Kat smirked.

"What about the dad?" Dean questioned.

"Shot. Trying to escape" All four of them exchanged a look. Shot and still trying to kill.

The police woman walks a few steps away to talk to the woman on the end of her walkie-talkie.

"Where's your baby Dean?" Kat teased.

"At the station I hope" The officer returned.

"So, state police and the FBI are gonna be here within the hour. They're gonna wanna talk to you. I suggest that you're all long gone by then"

"Thanks. Hey, listen, I don't mean to press our luck, but we're kind of in the middle of nowhere. Think we could catch a ride?" Dean flashed his gorgeous smile.

"Start walking. Duck if you see a squad car" Maybe it only worked on Kat.

"Sounds great to me. Thanks. Come on guys" Kat tugged on the boys arms.

"Listen, uh….I'm sorry about your brother" Dean's words caused them to stop.

"Thank you. It was really hard not knowing what happened to him. I thought it would be easier once I knew the truth—but it isn't really ... Anyway, you should go" They nod and begin to walk away. Kat knew the feeling of not knowing. She knew that Jack was dead but not knowing how, or when that was the hard part. They were half way down the road walking arm in arm with Kat in the middle when Dean spoke.

"Never do that again" He turned his head to face the both of them.

"Do what?" Sam and Kat questioned simultaneously.

"Go missin' like that" They laugh at him.

"You were worried about me" Sam stated, he never said "we" because he was there the last time Kat went missing. When the shapeshifter had taken her, he had never seen Dean so vexed. Although Dean was his brother he had a hard time imagining Dean acting like that when he went missing.

"All I'm sayin' is, you vanish like that again, I'm not lookin' for ya" He winked at Kat. She smiled and turned to Sam. She had to look up to see his face; Kat was only small compared to the brothers.

"Sure, you won't" He smiled at Kat.

"I'm not" Sam chuckled at Dean's remark.

"So, you got sidelined by a thirteen-year-old girl, huh sweetie?" Kat smirked.

"Oh, shut up Kitten" He smirked, a smirk that would make a nun think unholy thoughts.

"Don't call me kitten!" Kat removed her arm from the brothers and hit him playfully in the chest.

"Ah gettin' rusty there, kiddo" Sam laughed. Dean chuckled as Kat jumped on his back and wrapped her legs around his waist, arms around his neck. She kissed his cheek.

"Shut up!" They continued to laugh, one big dysfunctional family reunited again.


	16. Chapter 16

Kat sat in the front of the Impala painting her nails, black as always. One of Dean's many cassettes playing in the background. She was waiting for the boys to return from their latest scam. A young woman, Meredith was found by her landlady dead in her apartment. They pretended they were from the alarm company attempting to discover why it did not go off when Meredith was murdered.

"Miss me Kitkat!" Dean slid into the passenger side, Kat turned the music down.

"Yeah I'm glad you came back now cause otherwise I might not have be able to carry on" She

Smiled at him. "So what do we know?" Kat turned in the driver's seat to face them both.

"Right there were spots of blood all over the living room carpet" Dean paused and Sam took over.

"Landlady found the body a few days later"

"Any signs of a break in?" Kat blew on her nails.

"No, windows were locked, front door was bolted. Chain was on the door, they had to cut it just to get in" Dean opened the window.

"And the alarm was still on?" Kat turned to Sam.

"Yeah"

"You see any overturned furniture, broken glass, signs of struggle?" She frowned running out of ideas.

"No" The boys said in unison.

"The landlady said that everything was in perfect condition, except Meredith" Dean sighed.

"And what ... condition was Meredith in?" Kat wasn't sure she really wanted to know.

"Landlady told us Meredith was all over. In pieces. She said that if she didn't know any better, she'd have said a wild animal did it" Sam slumped into the backseats, defeated.

"What's up guys, what did you find?" Kat could tell something had shaken them.

"There was EMF everywhere in there Kat and Meredith's heart was missing" She knew it was serious as soon as Dean called her Kat.

"Missing? Well that's ... different"

"So, what do you think did it to her?" Sam directed his question to Kat but Dean beat her to it.

"Well, the landlady said it looked like an animal attack. Maybe it was a werewolf?"

"No, Dean not a werewolf, the lunar cycle's not right. Plus, if it was a creature, it would've left some kind of trace. It's probably a spirit" Kat put her nail varnish in the glove box.

"Yeah well get this babe the blood on the carpet, I used masking tape to connect the pools of blood, and check this" He held out a drawing of an unusual symbol. It resembled a backward S with a circle in the middle.

"Ever see that symbol before babe?"

"I'm not sure, but something tells me it's a sigil of some kind"

"A sigil?" Sam questioned.

"A sigil is a symbol that's created for a specific magical purpose. They usually consist of complex combinations of other specific symbols or geometric figures that each provides a definite meaning, intent or spiritual power through prayer, meditation, ceremonial magic, sex magic. There's lots of ways" Kat noticed Dean's eyebrow raise at the mention of sex magic.

"Right" Sam smiled at her; he figured that she must be intelligent but he had no idea she was that intelligent.

"Swallowed a dictionary this morning babe?" Dean smirked. Kat slid her thick black rimmed glasses onto her nose and started the engine.

"I went to school, I revised for exams ... in-between the vampire hunting" She pulled off.

"Huh, must have been a tight schedule" Sam laughed.

"You have no idea"

"Let's head back to the motel, I wanna get changed" Dean pulled at his all in one overall. "Me and Dad did just fine without these stupid costumes. I feel like a high school drama dork" Kat and Sam laughed. "What was that play that you did? What was it – Our Town? Yeah, you were good, it was cute" Dean turned to Sam.

"We pull it off didn't we?" Sam questioned him.

"I'm just sayin' these outfits cost hard-earned money, okay?" Dean shrugged.

"Whose?" Sam's tone indicated that he was not convinced.

"Ours, you think credit card fraud is easy?" Dean scoffed.

"Yeah and poker is a skill" Kat added.

"Whatever guys" Sam sighed and sat back. "God forbid we should get jobs and do some honest work" He muttered to himself.

"Yeah but fraud is quicker Sammy" Kat speed off down the empty road.

After the boys got changed they made their way to the local bar that Meredith had been working in on the night she died. They acquired an empty table in the deserted part of the bar.

"Sam go and talk to the bartender, see what you can find out"

"Right" Sam stood up and began to walk to the bar.

"Oh and while you're there get the drinks in" Dean smirked and Sam shook his head. Kat's phone began to ring. "Uncle Danny" flashed on the screen.

"It's Danny, I'll be right back" She smiled at Dean and answered her phone. She walked in the direction of the entrance.

"Hey Uncle Danny. What's up?" Kat pushed the doors open and made her way over to the Impala. "Nothing's up, can't an uncle just call his favourite niece to check if she's ok?"

"I'm your only niece" She sat on the hood of the car.

"Well that's why you're my favourite"

"Thanks ... I guess" She twisted her hair around her finger.

"So how's life treating you?" A.K.A How's Dean treating you?

"Ok, I had a little run in with a bunch of crazy psycho freaks but other than that I'm good"

"What?" Kat laughed.

"Nothing, got kidnapped, escaped, it's all good"

"Kidnapped!"

"I escaped its fine!"

"Where was Dean?" Oh no here comes the whole "he's not good enough for you" routine.

"I am not going to have this conversation. I'm fine"

"Yeah well I'm concerned about you alright? I pretty much raised you I think I'm aloud to over react a little"

" ... I'm sorry, it's just ... I am not a child anymore"

"Katherine!"

"No Kat, Katherine is dead; she died the night everyone I cared about was murdered by a vampire"

"Ka-"

"No Danny I love you ok and I appreciate everything you've done for me but ... I don't need looking after anymore"

"You'll always be that little girl to me"

" ... I've gotta go"

"Kath- Kat, if you need me no matter what I'm here for you"

"I know, thank you, bye" She hung up before he could return her good bye. She sat in silence; she knew why he was calling. The anniversary of her parents and Jacks death was coming up in a few weeks. Every year in England she'd take a bunch of red roses and place them on the graves. She'd spend hours sitting in front of them reflecting on the events of her past. How she became who she was today. But not anymore ... England reminded her of everything she had lost. She couldn't stay there with a constant reminder of the life she could have been leading. She never regretted leaving; it made her who she was, shaped her to be stronger. Brought her to Dean.

Dean came bursting through the doors into the parking lot.

"Kat!" He looked around frantically the fear of losing her again fuelled him.

"What's wrong?" She shot to her feat. He turned to face her, relief washed over him. He ran over to her and threw his arms around her.

"Never do that again!" He shouted at her without letting her go. He kissed the top of her head.

"What?" She put her hands on his chest and pushed him away.

" I – the last time you went out into the parking lot on your own you ended up in a cage" When he could not see her in the foyer of the bar, he began to panic.

"I was on the phone Dean; you don't need to mommy coddle me ok?" His heart dropped, she had never pushed him away before.

"Kat, I just -" She put her head in her hands.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to, I need - sorry" She walked away from him and back in the direction of the bar. He grabbed her wrist. She turned to him and meet his gaze. Grey verses green. Her expression softened as a tear slid down her face.

"Kat what's wrong? And don't tell me nothing or time of the month, I have never seen you like this before!" She pulled away.

"I'm tired ok" She threw her arms down in defeat.

"Have you taken you supplements -" He put his hand in his pocket to pull the bottle out.

"No, tired of people, hunters seeing me and thinking I'm a little girl who needs to be looked after and taken care of. The damsel in distress" She wiped her tears away with the back of her hand.

"We care about you Kat that's all" He moved closer to her but she turned away.

"No you see the damsel in distress, Katherine she watched in tears as a vampire killed everyone that cared about her ... Kat would never have let that happen, ... I'm not the same person as I was and I never will be. Katherine's dead" He took her hand in his.

"But Kat'snot ... and she needs people that care about her" He kissed it gently. She smiled half heartedly.

"I know you care and I appreciate it, you don't understand how much I do but – I, I am just as good as you, Sam and Danny" She knew it sounded childish and shallow but just because she was a young woman doesn't make her any less of a good hunter.

"You're not as good Kat ... your better" He took her other hand.

"You're just saying that because you're lovely and perfect ... " She looked up at him. He loved the way she pouted when she was angry. Lips just begging to be kissed. He loved her too much to put her in danger. Sam made that mistake with Jess.

"No, the things you've seen they make you stronger make, they change you. Were the same, me, you, Sam. Damaged; but we learn to function, to carry on cause we have people that care about us. My dad your uncle; they taught us how to stop what happened to us from happening to anyone else" He moved closer and placed his head on top of hers. He felt the familiar feeling of her slender arms encasing his waist.

"What you think this is some chick flick movie and in the end we'll all fix each other?" She didn't say it in a nasty sarcastic way but in a tone that hinted she wished it were true. Her tears stained his shirt as he stroked her hair.

"I promise you right now, Kat Elkins that I Dean Winchester and this goes for Sam too, will do everything in our power to fix you" He smiled, not his usual smirk or his sexy come to bed grin just a pure beautiful smile. Her face lit up; she knew he meant it.

"And I Kat Elkins promise you Dean Winchester and Sammy Winchester that I will do everything in my power to fix you guys" She kissed his cheek, he had no idea how much she wished it could be his lips but she knew; the shapeshifter had told her the reasons why he could not tell her how much he cared about her. Fear for her safety and selfishness; he did not want to open his heart again to have it broken, scared by the prospect that she would disappear just like everybody else he had ever loved. "I love you Dean" Her words warmed his core.

"I love you too Kat" They stood there in the dark, arms around one another. He pulled back and wiped away her tears with his thumbs. She smiled, he smiled. Everything was ok ... for now.

"Let's go back inside, see if Sam's got anything for us" She took his hand.

When they reached the table Sam shared with them what he had learned from the bartender.

Meredith had worked here at the bar waiting tables, everyone was her friend and they said that was a normal girl. She didn't do or say anything weird before she died and there was nothing helpful about the sigil in John's journal. Kat could tell that by the end of his sentence something had caught his eye. She turned to look in the direction of his interest and saw a woman; petite, with short blond hair. Sam got up from the table and walked over to her. Kat had a sudden cold chill, alarm bells rang in her head. Something was wrong and she had a feeling it had something to do with Sam's new friend.

"Who's she?" Kat questioned Dean her tone held caution and it worried him.

"Never seen her before, why?" Dean raised his eyebrow at her curiously.

"I don't know, I just ... have a bad feeling about her ... it's probably nothing" She took a sip of her drink.

"Not good enough for our little Sammy huh?" He chuckled.

"I don't know I just ... let's go over and talk to her" She pulled on his arm and he picked up their drinks and followed her over.

They reached the table half way through a conversation so Kat stood there quietly.

"Yeah, I know, I thought I'd never see you again" Sam said cheerily.

"Well, I'm glad you were wrong" Her voice held a flirtatious tone, Sam nodded. Dean cleared his throat.

"Yeah, um, I'm sorry, Meg. This is, uh—this is my brother, Dean" Meg looked surprised at the mention of his name. "And our close friend Kat" Meg gave her a fake smile.

"This is Dean?" Dean smiled at her remark.

"Yeah" Sam sounded worried.

"So, you've heard of me?" Dean was expecting Sam to have been singing his praises. He was wrong.

"Oh, yeah. I've heard of you. Nice—the way you treat your brother like luggage" Dean looked confused, Kat looked angry.

"Sorry?" Kat put her drink down on the table with a thud.

"Why don't you let him do what he wants to do? Stop dragging him over God's green earth" Her voice was sweet and innocent.

"Excuse me?" Dean recognised that tone all too well and grabbed Kat's hand.

"Leave it please" Dean whispered to her.

"Meg, it's all right" Sam calmed her down. Kat and Meg locked stares. Dean whistled lowly.

"Okay, awkward. Were gonna head back to the motel now aren't we Kat?" He gave Sam a puzzled look and walked away. Kat hesitated, her gaze lingering on Meg and then she walked away; leaving Sam with a pleading look.

"Be careful Sam"

Kat and Dean sat in the Impala. Kat's face was like thunder.

"How dare she!" She slammed her hand on the dashboard.

"Kat-" She figured that he was concerned about his car.

"She has no idea the things you've done for Sam!" She huffed and gritted her teeth.

"Calm down babe it's alright, stop taking it out on the Impala" He gripped the steering wheel.

"No it's ... it's not" She then realised Sam had treated Dean the way she had treated Danny. They were both ungrateful because they were too busy worrying about being independent to realise that the people who they thought were treating them like children were the ones who had their best interests at heart. "It's not I'm sorry" Her voice had softened and her tone was filled with guilt.  
"For what?" He looked at her confused.

"I know you only have my best interests at heart, you and Danny. I'm so sorry" She frowned at herself.

"Well I accept your apology" He rested his hand on the back of her head and gently brought her closer and kissed her forehead. He pulled into the motel car park. Kat went in for a long hot shower, her mind drifted back to the case. The cogs started to turn. She exited the bathroom.

"So I was thinking there was a first victim, right? Before Meredith?" Dean's jaw dropped as he took the sight of Kat in nothing but a towel was almost enough to make him forget about the fate of Mary and Jess and give into his desires. "Dean, first victim?" She waved her hand in front of his face.

"Err ... right. Yeah" He pulled out a newspaper clipping concerning the first death from the pocket of his jeans. "His name was, uh—his name was Ben Swardstrom" He handed her the clipping"

"Last month he was found mutilated in his town house. Same deal—the door was locked, the alarm was on" She scanned the paper, reading aloud but she kept one hand holding the corner of her towel. Her hair was damp and curly, steam radiated from her. She looked beautiful. Dean imagined himself getting up off of the bed and ripping that towel off of her perfect body, laying her down on the bed and –

"Dean, Is there any connection between the two of them?" She walked over to the bed she and Dean shared. She opened her duffle bag and pulled out some underwear; black with red lace.

"Not that, I- I can tell ...I mean, not yet, at least" She turned to face him and he adverted his gaze to Sam's laptop screen. "Ben was a banker, Meredith was a waitress. They never met, never knew anyone in common—they were practically from different worlds" He pretended to be reading something on the screen.

"Oh, well it was worth a shot right?" She picked up her pyjamas; black spaghetti strap top complete with black three-quarter length bottoms. She walked back into the bathroom and locked the door. A huge smirk adorned her face. She made Dean Winchester stutter. She giggled like a school girl as she got dressed.

She came out of the bathroom and Sam had joined them in the room. Him and Dean were discussing Meg.

"I don't really know. I only met her once. Meeting up with her again? I don't know, man, it's weird. I think there's somethin' strange going on here, Dean, I mean like our kind of strange. Like, maybe even a lead. I met Meg weeks ago, literally on the side of the road. And now, I run into her in some random Chicago bar? I mean, the same bar where a waitress was slaughtered by something supernatural? You don't think that's a little weird?" Sam sat down on his bed.

"I don't know, random coincidence. It happens" Dean continued as Kat came and joined him on their bed.

"Yeah, it happens, but not to us. Look, I could be wrong, I'm just sayin' that there's something about this girl that I can't quite put my finger on" Dean smirked but Kat felt the same fear she felt when she first saw Meg.

"Well, I bet you'd like to. I mean, maybe she's not a suspect, maybe you've got a thing for her, huh?" Sam rolled his eyes and laughed. "Maybe you're thinkin' a little too much with your upstairs brain, huh?" Dean pointed to his head and grinned. Sam's face became serious again. Kat shook her head as much as she loved Dean he could be such a guy.

"Do me a favour. Check and see if there's really a Meg Masters from Andover, Massachusetts, and Kat can you see if you can dig anything up on that symbol on Meredith's floor please?"

"Sure sweetie, what are you gonna do?" She stood up and picked up her own laptop.

"I'm gonna watch Meg" Kat's face filled with worry, Dean laughed.

"Yeah, you are" He continued to laugh.

"I just wanna see what's what. Better safe than sorry" Sam stood up and picked the keys from the bedside table.

"All right, you little pervert" Dean smirked.

"Sam be careful ok, I got a bad feeling about that woman" Kat handed him a gun from Dean's bag.

"Thanks Kat" He smiled at her.

"No problem sweetie" She smiled back. He walked out the door and Kat sat on the bed and turned her laptop on.

After a half an hour of research she had found her sigil. She picked up her phone and dialled Sam, she put it on speaker phone and placed it between her and Dean.

"Hey" Sam greeted them.

"Let me guess. You're lurkin' outside that poor girl's apartment, aren't you?" Dean chuckled.

"No" Dean and Kat exchanged unconvinced expression and waited for another response from Sam. "Yes"

"You've got a funny way of showin' your affection" Dean continued to chuckle.

"Did you find anything on her or what?" Sam's patience was obviously beginning to wear thin.

"Sorry, man, she checks out. There is a Meg Masters in the Andover phonebook. I even pulled up her high school photo. Now, look, why don't you go knock on her door and, uh, invite her to a poetry reading, or whatever it is you do, huh?" Kat smacked Dean in the chest, Sam laughed at Dean's false cries of pain.

"Thanks Kat, what about the symbol? Any luck?"

"Yeah, it turns out its Zoroastrian. Very, very old school, like two thousand years before Christ. It's a sigil for a Daeva"

"What's a Daeva?" Sam and Dean questioned her.

"It translates to "demon of darkness". Zoroastrian demons and they're savage, animalistic"

"Kind of like, uh, demonic pit bulls?" Dean raised his eyebrow. Kat nodded.

"How'd you figure that out?" Sam sounded intrigued.

"The amount of hunters I travelled with, you pick a few things up. Anyway, here's the thing, these Daeva's, they have to be summoned, conjured as it were"

"So, someone's controlling it?" Sam was amazed by what Kat knew and pondered just how many hunters she had travelled with before Dean.

"Yeah, that's what I'm saying sweetie. And, from what I've been told it's pretty risky business, too. These freaks tend to bite the hand that feeds them. And, uh, the arms, and torsos" Dean giggled at her.

"So, what do they look like?" Dean moved over to sit opposite her and nearer the phone.

"Well, nobody knows, nobody's seen them for a couple of millennia at least. I mean Sam, summoning a demon that ancient? ... Someone out there really, really knows what they're doing"

"You think we've got a major player in town?" Sam sounded a little worried. When If Kat's dubious about something then they are in trouble.

"Yeah I do, don't worry Sam we got this" She looked over to Dean, he nodded.

"Now, why don't you go give that girl a private strip-o-gram?" Dean chuckled.

"Bite me" Sam replied.

"No, bite her. Don't leave teeth marks, though -"Sam hung up. "Sam? Are you—?" Kat and Dean burst out laughing.

"Well I'm going to get some sleep, I'll see you in the morning" Kat stood up and put her laptop back in its bag. She went back over to the bed.

"Night, sweet dreams" He kissed her forehead. She got under the covers and turned away from him. After about ten minutes she heard him turn the T.V off and felt him lay beside her on top of the covers and as always felt his arm around her protectively.

She was woken by Sam bursting through the motel room door.

"Guy's I gotta talk to you" Kat rubbed her eyes as she sat up in the bed.

"It's her, Meg" Sam sat down on the chair at the end of the bed.

"So, little Meg is summoning the Daeva?" Kat knew there was something wrong with that girl.

"Looks like she was using a black altar to control the thing" Sam had followed her and discovered her secret hidey-hole complete with a black alter decorated in the occult style.

"So, Sammy's got a thing for the bad girl" Dean chuckled. Sam rolled his eyes and Kat looked furious.

"And there was this bowl; she was talking into it. The way witches used to cry into crystal balls or animal entrails. She was communicating with someone"

"With who? With the Daeva?" Dean questioned him but he kept his gaze on Kat.

"No, Kat you said those things were savages" She nodded. "No, this was someone different. Someone who's giving her orders. Someone who's comin' to that warehouse" Dean though for a moment and glanced at some files on the table that sat in the corner of their room. He got out of bed and walked over to them. He picked them up and began to scan through them. Kat got up and followed him, stopping to sit on the table.

"Holy crap"

"What is sweetie?" Kat stood up behind him looking at the various pieces of paper he held in his hand.

"What I was gonna tell you earlier I pulled a favour with my friend, over at the police department. The complete records of the two victims we missed something the first time"

"What?" Sam came over to look at the records.

"The first victim, the old man, he spent his whole life in Chicago, but he wasn't born here. Look where he was born" He pointed to something on the page.

"Lawrence, Kansas" Sam and Kat read aloud.

"Mmhmm" He picked up the second file. "Meredith, second victim, turns out she was adopted. And guess where she's from" The paper read "Lawrence, Kansas". Sam sat down across from Dean, clearly shocked.

"Holy crap" Was his only response.

"Yeah" Kat began to pace behind Dean.

"I mean, it is where the demon killed Mom. That's where everything started. So, you think Meg's tied up with the demon?" Sam leaned forward.

"I think it's a definite possibility" Dean looked to Kat for a second opinion.

"No, this thing it's ... I just don't think that a creature like that could have stayed off the grid for so long without a reported sighting or a hunting party going after it" She shook her head. The contacts she had gained through her uncle called or e-mailed anything unusual, sighting, invitations to a hunt or for her opinion. And not once had this creature come up.

"But I don't understand. What's the significance of Lawrence? And how do these Daeva things fit in?" Sam shook his head.

"Beats me. But I say we trash that black altar, grab Meg, and have ourselves a friendly little interrogation" Dean stood up.

"No, we can't. We shouldn't tip her off. We've gotta stake out that warehouse. We've gotta see who, or what, is showing up to meet her" Kat turned to pick up her coat.

"I'll tell you one thing. I don't think we should do this alone" Dean took his phone out of his pocket.

Kat and Sam entered the room carrying bags full of weapons. Dean was leaving a message on John's voice mail. Kat wondered why he kept trying; she would have given up by now.

"We think we've got a serious lead on the thing that killed Mom. So, uh, this warehouse—its 1435 West Erie. Dad, if you get this, get to Chicago as soon as you can" He turned to face them "Jesus, what'd you get?" he gestured to the bags. Sam chuckled.

"Holy water, every weapon that I could think of, exorcism rituals from about a half dozen religions. I'm not sure what to expect, so we should just expect everything" Dean nodded; they begin loading their guns silently.

"Big night" Dean spoke to Sam.

"Yeah. You nervous?" He sat opposite his brother. Kat sat silently on the bed behind them, she knew whatever this was it was not what killed Marry it just didn't add up. The thing that killed their mother would not need a Daeva to do its dirty work.

"No. Why, are you?" Dean looked over to Kat as he spoke. She definitely had something on her mind.

"No. No way" They were silent for a few seconds. "God, could you imagine if we actually found that damn thing? That demon?" Sam's voice filled with excitement.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, all right sweetie?" She was not going to let him get all worked up.

"I know. I'm just sayin', what if we did? What if this whole thing was over tonight? Man, I'd sleep for a month. Go back to school, be a person again" Kat smiled half heartedly at Sam; she turned away from him to continue preparing her weapons. Dean looked shocked.

"You wanna go back to school?" Kat sighed she knew what was coming. Dean was about to discover his little brother did not want the same thing as he did. They were different maybe too different.

"Yeah, once we're done huntin' the thing" Sam stood up.

"Huh" He exchanged a glance with Kat; her face remained neutral.

"Why, is there somethin' wrong with that?" Sam looked from Kat to Dean.

"No. No, it's, uh, great. Good for you" Dean smiled.

"I mean, what are you gonna do when it's all over?" He smiled to them both.

"It's never gonna be over. There's gonna be others. There's always gonna be somethin' to hunt" Dean looked over to Kat. She nodded and smiled at him.

"But there's got to be somethin' that you want for yourself ... Kat?"

"I want to make sure that what happened to me never happens to anyone else" Kat got up from the bed and loaded her pistols.

"Dean?"

"Yeah, I don't want you to leave the second this thing's over, Sam" He walked over to the dresser.

"Dude, what's your problem?" Dean was silent for a while, and then he turned back to Sam.

"Why do you think I drag you everywhere? Huh? I mean, why do you think I came and got you at Stanford in the first place?" Kat knew exactly why, he had told her on the way.

"'Cause Dad was in trouble. 'Cause you wanted to find the thing that killed Mom" Sam moved closer to Dean.

"Yes, that, but it's more than that, man" He returned to his previous seat in front of the dresser and fell silent again. Kat moved over behind him and placed her hands on his shoulders. Once again he turned to Sam.

"You and me, Dad and you Kat. I mean, I want us….I want us to be together again. I want us to be a family again" Kat smiled she missed being part of a family.

"Dean, we are a family. I'd do anything for you. But things will never be the way they were before" Dean's face fell, Kat closed her eyes; Sam had just broken his heart.

"Could be" His voice was filled with sadness; he was attempting to hold back tears.

"I don't want them to be. I'm not gonna live this life forever. Dean, when this is all over, you're gonna have to let me go my own way" He looked over to Kat for support but she kept her mouth shut, Dean already had major insecurities because of his parents but if Sam left too it would kill him.

Kat waited outside the warehouse; Dean had asked her to keep watch. Kat suspected that he had her best interests at heart. The boys had been in there for a about half an hour now, she was getting worried. She decided she was going to disobey Dean's wishes and head inside. She silently crept up to the top avoiding the piles of junk and wooden creates in her way. The boys were tied to columns and Meg was straddling Sam. Dean noticed Kat, he attempted to distract Meg.

"Why you doin' this, Meg? What kind of deal you got worked out here, huh? And with who?" Kat took a hold of a shotgun by the barrel.

"I'm doing this for the same reasons you do what you do; loyalty. Love. Like the love you had for Mommy and Jess" Kat ran over and smacked Meg around the head with the shotgun. She fell to the floor. Kat stood in front of the brothers, a smirk on her face, the shotgun rested on her shoulder.

"Kat! Get the altar" She walked over to the altar and kicked it over. A shadow demon appeared behind her and grabbed Meg it dragged her across the floor and out through the window. Kat ran to look outside. Meg lay sprawled on the street below.

"Damn" She turned away and walked over to Dean and got out her knife, she cut him free from his ropes. He then freed Sam from his.

"So, I guess the Daeva's didn't like being bossed around" Kat handed the shotgun to Dean.

"Yeah, I guess not. Hey, Sam?" Dean turned to him.

"Hm?" Sam responded.

"Next time you wanna get laid, find a girl that's not so buckets-o'-crazy, huh?" He smiled and walked away. Kat shrugged, smiled at Sam and followed Dean.

Kat sat in the front of the Impala, Dean took his usual place in the driver's seat and Sam in the back.

"So the whole thing, was a trap?" Kat questioned.

"Yeah It was all a set-up and that the victims from Lawrence were just to draw us in" Sam was obviously upset the first girl he had liked since Jess was a psycho killer.

"All this for dad, she knew his one weakness" Dean sighed as he pulled up at their motel.

"You guys" Kat finished his sentence for him.

"... Yeah" Dean locked the car. Sam was struggling to carry all the useless weapons they had taken.

"Here Sam I'll help you" Kat took one of the bags from him only to have it taken from her by Dean.

"Why didn't you just leave that stuff in the car?" Dean questioned him as they made their way through the hallway to their room.

"I said it before, and I'll say it again, better safe than sorry" Kat nodded at Sam's comment.

"Whatever" Dean unlocked the door and they entered the room. An outline of a man standing by the window greeted them.

"Hey!" Kat shouted and Sam turned on the light. The man turned around.

"John!" Kat sighed relieved. Sam and Dean stood there stunned.

"Dad?"

"Hey, boys, Kat" Dean and John walked towards each other and shared a long, emotional hug. Sam watched sadness plastered on his face. Dean and John pulled apart a few seconds later. "Hi, Sam" Sam looked at Kat. She smiled and gestured to John.

"Hey, Dad" He placed the bag full of weapons on the floor.

"Dad, it was a trap. I didn't know, I'm sorry" Dean began to ramble.

"It's all right. I thought it might've been"

"Were you there?" Kat questioned from the other side of the room.

"Yeah, I got there just in time to see the girl take the swan dive. She was the bad guy, right?"

"Yes, sir" Sam and Dean's reply. "Yeah" was Kat's.

"Good. Well, it doesn't surprise me. It's tried to stop me before"

"The demon has?" Sam questioned.

"It knows I'm close. It knows I'm gonna kill it. Not just exorcise it or send it back to hell, actually kill it"

"How?" John smiled at Kat comment. She always challenged him, she was the daughter he had never had and didn't want.

"I'm workin' on that" he replied, she scoffed.

"Let us come with you. We'll help" Dean gave Sam a warning look.

"No, Sam. Not yet. Just try to understand. This demon is a scary son of a bitch. I don't want you caught in the crossfire. I don't want you hurt"

"Dad, you don't have to worry about us" Sam pleaded.

"Of course I do. I'm your father... Listen, Sammy, last time we were together, we had one hell of a fight"

"Yes, sir" Sam sounded defeated.

"It's good to see you again. It's been a long time" John smiled.

"Too long" He and John embraced, crying. They pulled apart. The three of them look around tearfully. Kat moved over to the window. Suddenly John was thrown into the set of cabinets; he fell to the ground along with Sam.

"No!" Dean yelled as he attempted to get to Kat. He was thrown to the floor as well. Kat turned to look out the window, Meg was standing outside the apartment; holding a pendant around her neck. Kat recognised the Zoroastrian symbol. Sam, Dean, and John groaned and screamed in pain as they were flung around the room. Fresh scratches appeared on their faces. Kat made her way to the bag of weapons on the floor, her hands trembled but eventually she found what she was looking for. A flare.

"Shut your eyes boys! These things are shadow demons, so let's light 'em up!" She lit the flare the room instantly filled with smoke and a brilliant white light Kat shielded her eyes with her arm. The shadow demon vanished. Coughing and sputtering was all that could be heard.

"Dean!" Kat screamed.

"Over here!" Kat made her way to him and helped him up to his feet. Sam followed them out of the room stopping to grab the bag of weapons.

They run down the alley to the Impala, Sam put the bag in the backseat of the car.

"Guys come on. We don't have much time. As soon as the flare's out, they'll be back" Kat got the keys from Dean and got into the driving seat.

"Wait, wait. Sam, wait. Dad, you can't come with us" Kat was shocked Dean was actually thinking logically.

"What? What are you talkin' about?" Sam looked at him like he was insane.

"You boys, you're beat to hell" John looked over to Kat. She smiled.

"We'll be all right, I'll look after them. I promise" She saluted him with a wink.

"Kat, we should stick together. We'll go after those demons -" Sam turned to her.

"Sam, this whole thing was a set up to get to John. They're not gonna stop sweetie, they're gonna try again. They're gonna use you and Dean to get to him. Meg was right. John is vulnerable when he's with you guys"

"Dad, no" Sam placed a hand on his father's shoulder. "After everything, after all the time we spent lookin' for you ... please. I gotta be a part of this fight" Kat looked at Dean; she knew what it was like to seek revenge.

"Sammy, this fight is just starting. And we are all gonna have a part to play. For now, you've got to trust me, son. Okay, you've gotta let me go" All three of them stood silently for a moment, close to tears. Finally, Sam pats his father's shoulder once, then let go. John looked over to Dean; he then walked over to his truck. He looked back at them. "Be careful, boys. Kat take care of em' for me"

"Will do sir" Since you can't do it yourself. He smiled at her, got in his truck and drove away.


	17. Chapter 17

Interstate 35; Kat sat in the back of the Impala lazily watching the trees fly by at the speed of Dean's crazy driving. She observed him as he looked over to Sam; who was sleeping peacefully.

"Hey babe can you pass me that plastic spoon please" He whispered to her. She handed him the spoon she had used earlier to eat her yogurt.

"What are going to do with that?" She leaned over the front seats curiously. Dean placed the spoon in Sam's mouth. Kat burst out laughing. He then took out his phone and took a picture of Sam. He then leaned over next to Kat and took a snap of him and her. They both giggle like children and Dean turned up the music.

"A fire of unknown origin took my baby away!" They sang in unison at the top of their voices. Sam shot awake and sat up, spitting out the spoon. Dean drummed his hands on the steering wheel along with the music. Sam turned down the volume.

"Ha-ha, very funny" He looked over to Kat who quickly looked out of the window to hide her face from him; concealing the fact that she thought that was hilarious. Dean chuckled.

"Sorry. Not a lot of scenery here in east Texas, you kind of gotta make your own" He and Kat laughed.

"Man, we're not kids anymore, Dean. We're not gonna start that crap up again" Sam sighed.

"Start what up?" Dean acted innocent. Kat smirked at the thought; Dean Winchester innocent. Yeah right.

"That prank stuff, it's stupid, and it always escalates"

"Oh, what's the matter, Sammy, you afraid you're gonna get a little Nair in your shampoo again, huh?" Dean smiled.

"All right. Just remember, you started it" Sam shrugged.

"Oh, bring it on, Baldy" He used the rear view mirror to wink at Kat; Partners in crime.

"Where are we, anyway?" Sam questioned.

"Few hours outside of Richardson" Dean answered. "Give me the lowdown again" Sam picked up a piece of paper from the dashboard.

"All right, about a month or two ago, this group of kids goes pokin' around in this local haunted house"

"Haunted by what?" Dean's tone was sceptical.

"Apparently, a pretty misogynistic spirit. Legend goes, it takes girls and strings them up in the rafters" Kat had read that piece of paper about a million times on in the back of the car.

"Anyway, this group of kids see this dead girl hangin' in the cellar" Sam continued.

"Anybody ID the corpse?" Dean turned the radio off completely. Now he's interested.

"Well, that's the thing sweetie. By the time the cops got there, the body was gone"

"So, cops are sayin' the kids were just yankin' chains?" Dean finished Kat's sentence.

"Exactly" She nodded.

"Well, maybe the cops are right" Kat shrugged at his explanation.

"I don't know baby but it's worth checking out right?" He nodded at her using the mirror; she sat back in her seat.

"I read a couple of the kids' firsthand accounts. They seem pretty sincere" Sam announced to them.

"Where did you read these accounts Sammy?" Kat was the one he told about the incident because he knew Dean would dismiss it completely but he had not told her about the accounts.

" ... Well, I knew we were gonna be passing through Texas. So, uh, last night I searched some local….paranormal websites" Dean rolled his eyes and Kat hit him round the head.

"Go on Sam ignore your brother" Sam smiled at her and then smirked at Dean before finishing.

"Hell Hound's Lair dot com" Even Kat was beginning to feel a little reluctant herself.

"Let me guess, streaming live out of Mom's basement" Sam laughed at Dean's comment.

"Yeah, probably" He agreed.

"Yeah, most of those websites wouldn't know a ghost if it bit 'em in the ..."

"Dean!" Kat interrupted. "Maybe there is something to this alright just let him finish" She knew that working on this case would take the boys mind of off their dad. She nodded to Sam to indicate he should go on telling them what he found.

"Look, we let Dad take off, which was a mistake, by the way. And now, we don't know where the hell he is, so, in the meantime, we've got to find ourselves something to hunt. There's no harm checkin' this thing out" That was the outburst Kat was trying to avoid but she knew Sam really wanted in on the hunt for Jesses killer. So did she but when it came down to a choice of continuing her quest for revenge or teaming up with the Winchesters on their quest; it was an easy choice. She was tired of being on her own.

"All right. So, where do we find these kids?" Dean abruptly changed the subject from John.

"Same place you always find kids in a town like this" Kat smirked.

After interviewing every teenager they could find in the Rodeo drive-in the gang compared notes.

"Right so we are looking for and I quote "the scariest thing ever that lives in a house with black walls that are covered in blood that much the walls look red and painted on the walls are: freaky symbols, crosses and stars, pentagons and Pentecostals" Sarcasm dripped from Kat's words like poison. "Oh no wait it gets better; the girl hanging from the rafters had "black-Blond-Red hair and she was kicking ... without even moving amazing this is going to be a cake walk" She sighed.

"Are you finished?" Sam questioned. Defeat in his tone.

"Oh no there's more "She was kinda hot in a dead sort of way" Kat scrunched up the paper in her hand and threw it into the trash can across the room. It went in. Dean stood up.

"Look I agree with Kat everything those morons told us is useless apart from one thing: Craig"

They did a little snooping around and discovered that Craig worked at the local record store. They decided to pay him a visit.

"Gentlemen and hottie, can I help you with anything?" Craig was shuffling some old records attempting to make it look like he was working.

"Yeah you can help me by never calling me that again" Kat smiled sweetly with a hint of threat in her voice.

"Yeah, are you Craig Thurston?" Sam interrupted.

"I am"

"Well, we're reporters with the Dallas Morning News. I'm Dean, this is Sam and this is our superior Katherine"

"No way. Yeah, I'm a writer, too. I write for my school's lit magazine"

"Oh, good for you, Morrison" Kat smirked at Dean's remark.

"We're doing an article on local hunting's, and rumours' I hear you might know about one" Kat's British accent held a tone of authority; it would have been very easy to believe she was their boss.

"You mean the Hell House?"

"That's the one" She smiled.

"I didn't think there was anything to the story" Craig shrugged.

"Why don't you tell us the story?" How could any teenage boy say no to Kat?

"Well, supposedly, back in the thirties, this farmer, Mordechai Murdoch, used to live in the house with his six daughters. It was during the Depression. His crops were failing. He didn't have enough money to even feed his own children. So, I guess that's when he went off the deep end"

"How?" Sam questioned.

"Well, he figured it was best if his girls died quick rather than starve to death. So he attacked them. They screamed, begged for him to stop. But he just strung them up, one after another. And then, when he was all finished, he turned around and hung himself. Now, they say that his spirit is trapped in the house forever, stringin' up any other girl who goes inside" Dean looked over to Kat. She knew what was coming; "There's no way in hell you're going in that house sweetheart!" We'll see about that.

"And the source of this information would be?" Kat had to ask because she could not stand another visit to a bunch of drunken morons.

"My cousin, Dana, told me. I don't know where she heard it from. You've gotta realize I didn't believe this for a second"

"But now you do?" Sam and Kat exchanged a glance.

"I don't know what the hell to think, man. Guys, I'll tell you exactly what I told the police, okay? That girl was real, and she was dead. This was not a prank. I swear to God, I don't wanna go anywhere near that house ever again, okay?"

"Thanks for your time sir" Kat lead the boys out of the shop.

Kat woke up the next morning to find empty beds and an empty room. She decided to do some research into the case but as soon as she heard the key turning in the lock she dived back into bed and closed her eyes. She heard a lot of shushing and then felt Dean get into their bed. He placed his arm around her as he had done the previous night. She let him settle and then announced;

"You went without me didn't you?" Kat questioned furiously but did not raise her voice. Dean jumped he thought she was asleep.

"Kat you heard what that dude said he strings up girls; I'm not letting you go in there" Dean out of the bed.

"I don't like being cut out of the loop Dean; I thought we were a team. I am capable of looking after myself" She got up from the bed and slammed down into one of the plastic chairs in the corner of their current motel room.

"We are a team and what kind of a team mate would I be if I let you go in there and get yourself killed huh?" Kat ignored his comment and turned to Sam.

"You didn't miss much action Kat" Sam smiled at her from across the table.

"What did you find?" She smiled back. Sam was too cute not to smile back.

"Symbols lots and lots of them, reversed cross, sigil of sulphur"

"Wait the sigil of sulphur?" Kat looked over to Dean for conformation.

"The cross fair enough but that sigil didn't show up in San Francisco until the sixties" Dean looked at her strangely.

"What?"

"Nothing you're just amazing sometimes"

"Thanks" She meant it but you would have never have guessed by the flatness of her tone.

"Hey, what about this one? You seen this one before?" Sam showed her a picture of the symbol on his phone. It looked like a cross but instead of going into a straight line on the bottom it curved into something that resembled a sickle.

"I have. Somewhere" Kat pondered thoughtfully.

"Yeah me too I just can't remember" Dean and her sat in silence for a few minutes; cogs turning.

"It's paint. Seemed pretty fresh too" Sam took the phone from Kat.

"And that's not all, we meet these two geeks who claim to be professional paranormal investigators" Dean stood up and handed her a little white card.

"Ed Zeddmore and Harry Spangler. Hell Hound's Lair dot com" Kat read out loud laughing at the thought.

"They were "trying to conduct a serious scientific investigation"" Dean laughed.

"So now what?" Sam asked Kat.

"Well while you guys were having all the fun I did some research"

"What did you find sweetie?"

"Well, I couldn't find a Mordechai, but I did turn up a Martin Murdoch who lived in that house in the thirties. He did have children, but only two of them; both boys. And there was no record he ever killed anybody"

"Huh" Was there only response.

"What about you guys?"

"Well, those kids didn't really give us a clear description of that dead girl, but I did hit up the police station. No matching missing persons it's like she never existed ... We did our digging; this one's a bust, all right? For all we know, those Hell Hound boys made up the whole thing" Dean looked over to Sam.

"Yeah, all right" He sounded reluctant but he knew that they had not found any substantial evidence of it being there kind of case.

"So, I say we find ourselves a bar and some beers, and leave the legend to the locals" Dean stood up and waved his wallet.

"I'm in, just let me put some close on first" She went into the bathroom and got changed. Simple black strappy top, black jeans and converse black of course, topped off with an Aerosmith ACDC hoodie. Beautiful. She came out of the bathroom applying her red lip balm. They headed out into the parking lot. Kat was about to get into the car but Sam grabbed her arm. He shook his head at her. Dean got into the car and started the engine. Fast-paced music blasted from the speakers and the windshield wipers started to move back and forth causing Dean to jump. He rushed to turn everything off. Sam got into the car, laughing. Kat sighed and got into the back seat.

"You're like children, you know that right?" She told them as she examined her blood red nails.

"What the ...?" Sam licked his finger and drew a number one in the air, he then pointed to himself and mouthed, "Me"

"That's all you got? That's weak. That is Bush-league" Sam continued to laugh as they drove away.

The next morning Kat was woken by Sam slamming the door to their motel. Well actually that's what she wanted Dean to think she was actually pretending to be asleep so that she could enjoy Dean occasionally stroking her hair or kissing her forehead.

"Guys" Kat turned in the bed to face him. Dean had been awake for about half an hour and had been lying with Kat. Just being with her was enough ... for now.

"What's up Sam?" He removed his arm from around her so that she could sit up.

"I went out to get us breakfast and I saw ambulances and a load of cop cars so I followed and they were heading to the hell house"

"What happened?" Dean questioned.

"Cops say that a young girl hung herself in the house"

"Suicide?" Kat stretched and picked up her glasses from the side table.

"Yeah. Straight-A student, with a full ride to UT. What do you think?" Sam looked from Dean to Kat.

"I think maybe we missed something" Kat got up out of bed. She went into the bathroom.

Dean got out of bed, picked up the keys to the Impala and ran out the door. Sam went outside.

"She's not going to fall for this again" He leaned against the door frame.

"She's not goin' in that house Sam" Dean opened the boot of the car; Sam saw him pull something out and put in into the pocket of his jogging bottoms; he decided not to get involved and besides he called him Sam so it must have been serious.

"What are you doing Dean?" Sam questioned him as he returned to the room.

Kat came out of the bathroom; dressed and ready to go. Dean stood by the radiator.

"You cold sweetie?" Kat walked over to him. A cold, shirtless Dean who wouldn't? He opened his arms and she willingly stepped into them. Before she knew what was happening she was handcuffed to the radiator.

"Bitch!" she struggled against the cuffs.

"This is for your own good Kat" He placed his hands on her hips.

"Get off of me!" He pressed himself against her to stop her from moving. He then continued to search her; removing all her concealed weapons and anything she could use to get out of the cuffs.

"I can't believe you'd do this to me ... you know how I feel about being treated like a child" Kat watched as he placed the things he had taken from her into the bedside cabinet.

"I'm doing this because I ..." Love you "I don't want you to get hurt ok!"

"Sam?" Kat pleaded with him.

"Sorry Kat but I'd do the same if it were Jess" He smiled weakly as he opened the front door.

"Kat I'm sorry but it's for your own good" Dean kissed her forehead; she turned her head away from him and slid down onto the floor. She struggled and struggled but it was no use the cuffs were made of solid silver. She huffed in defeat she would never have thought that she would be this angry about Dean Winchester putting her in handcuffs but then again she was thinking more along the lines of a king sized bed rather than a radiator on a freezing cold laminate floor. How would she explain this if the cleaners came in?

After about an hour Sam and Dean returned from the Hell house. They entered the room; Sam instantly sat down in the corner and got out his laptop. Dean came over to Kat; he knelt down and took the keys out of his pocket. He unlocked the cuffs and helped her to her feat. She rubbed her wrists looked up at Dean and punched him in the face.

"Ok I deserved that" He turned to follow her but instead of storming out the door she slammed herself down on the bed.

"Sam what happened?" She continued to rub her wrists the cuffs had irritated her.

"Mordechai is immune to rock slat"

"So he attacked you?" Kat questioned.

"Yeah" Sam knew where she was going with this.

"Yeah and the last time I checked you're not a girl. So maybe next time I'll handcuff you to the radiator" She turned to Dean.

"Ok I'm sorry but I was trying to protect you" He was rubbing his jaw.

"I know that's why I didn't hit you that hard" Her tone was cold and sounded uninterested.

"Well if that's you being nice I don't wanna know what it feels like when you're angry"

"The legend also says he hung himself, but you see those slit wrists?" Sam directed his question at Dean.

"Yeah" Dean grabbed a piece of paper and began to scribble.

"What's up with that? And the axe, too. I mean, ghosts are usually pretty strict, right? Following the same patterns over and over?" Sam looked over to Kat.

"But his mood keeps changing?" Kat continued to rub and scratch her wrists.

"Exactly" He began to type on his laptop. "I'm tellin' you, the way the story goes ... wait a minute"

"What?" Kat and Dean said in unison.

"Someone added a new post into the Hell Hounds' site. Listen to this. They say Mordechai Murdoch was really a Satanist who chopped up his victims with an axe before slitting his own wrists. Now he's imprisoned in the house for eternity. Where the hell is this going?" Sam shut the lid.

"Well one good thing has come out of being handcuffed and abandoned" Kat stood up and walked over to Dean.

"What's that?" Dean looked up at he, she took the paper out of his hand and held it up to Sam. On it was the symbol that they had been attempting to recall the origins of earlier.

"I think I might have just figured out where it all started" She smiled at the boys and picked up the car keys from the table. The boys exchanged a curious glance and followed her out into the parking lot.

Kat drove the boys to the record store. She pushed open the door and walked to the cash register where Craig sat; guilty as sin.

"Hey, sweetie. Remember us?" She smiled.

"Guys, I'm really not in the mood to answer any more of your questions, okay?" He turned to walk away.

"Oh, don't worry, we're just here to buy an album, that's all" She walked over to the racks and began to look through the records.

"Ah here it is. You know, I couldn't figure out what that symbol was, and then I realized, it doesn't mean anything. It's a logo for Blue Oyster Cult" Craig turned to face them, looking guilty. "So, tell me sweetie are you into BOC? Or just scaring the hell out of people?" She handed the album to Craig, he flipped it over and there was the symbol. "So, why don't you tell us about that house without lying through your teeth this time" Sam and Dean exchanged an impressed look.

"All right, um, my cousin, Dana, was on break from TCU, and I guess we were just bored, lookin' for something to do, so I showed her this abandoned dump I found. We thought it'd be funny if we made it look like it was haunted. So, we painted symbols on the walls, some from some albums, and some from some of Dana's theology textbooks. And then we found out this guy Murdoch used to live there, so we made up some story to go along with that. So, they told people, who told other people, and then these two guys put it on their stupid website. Everything just took on a life of its own. I mean, I thought it was funny at first, but….now that girl's dead" He started to cry. "It was just a joke, you know, I mean, none of it was real, we made the whole thing up, I swear" He wiped his tears.

"All right" She turned and walked out of the store followed by Sam and Dean.

"If none of it was real, then how the hell do you explain Mordechai?" Dean got into the passenger seat of the Impala.

Back in the motel room Kat and Dean sat in silence while Sam was in the shower.

"I'm sorry ... about before" Dean attempting an apology was a rare and hilarious sight.

"You mean for handcuffing me to the radiator?" She sat on the window ledge staring out at the empty car park.

" ... Yes" He sounded sincere in his apology but Kat knew he's do it again.

"Dean after everything I told you, you know how I feel about being treated differently because I'm a woman and a hunter" He knew, he remembered that night in the parking lot of the bar; their first row.

"If I would have asked you to stay here would you?" He turned to her.

" ... No" She continued to look out of the window.

"No I didn't think so" He smiled at her.

"I'm sorry for punching you in the face ... do you forgive me?" She turned and held open her arms. He held up his hand to indicate to her he would be there in a minute. He then took out a packet of something and moved over to Sam's clothes that were lying on the bed.

"What is that?" Kat questioned.

"Yes your forgiven" He walked over to her and placed his arms around her waist. She placed her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder. He kissed the top of her forehead. She pulled back to look into his eyes.

"Dean"

"Yeah"

"I -" Sam opened the bathroom door. Dean removed his arms from around her and moved back onto the bed. Sam was wearing nothing but a towel. Kat had no romantic feelings for Sam but she couldn't help but admire his body. It was smoking hot but nowhere near as hot as Dean's.

"Sammy I was just about to tell Dean that I think I may have a theory about what's going on in the Hell house"

"Oh, yeah?" Dean watched as Sam walked over to his clothes.

"Yeah. What if Mordechai is a tulpa?" She slid off of the window ledge.

"A tulpa?"

"Yeah, a Tibetan thought form" Sam began to sit down to listen to what Kat had to say but Dean interrupted.

"Hey, why don't you get dressed? We'll go grab somethin' to eat and talk about it then" He smiled; Sam walked over to the bed and grabbed his clothes taking them into the bathroom.

In the restaurant Dean and Sam got their food and joined Kat at the table. Sam shifted uncomfortably and attempted to scratch himself. Dean smirked and Kat realised what he had done.

"Hey, what's your problem?" Dean teased.

"Nothing. I'm fine" Sam insisted.

"Yeah?" Dean asked again.

"Yeah" Sam nodded towards Kat.

"All right, so, keep goin', what about these tulpa's?" Dean raised his eyebrow at Kat. She sighed, don't get involved.

"Okay, so there was this incident in Tibet in 1915. A group of monks visualized a golem in their heads. They meditate on it so hard, they bring the thing to life out of thin air" Kat had a look on her face that translated into 'how awesome is that'

"So?" Was Dean's reply. Kat's face dropped.

"That was twenty monks. Imagine what ten thousand web surfers could do. I mean, Craig starts a story about Mordechai, and it spreads, goes online. Now there are countless people all believing in the bitch" She took a sip of her cold drink.

"Okay sweetie, wait a second. You're trying to tell me that just because people believe in Mordechai, he's real?" Dean took a bite of his burger. Sam shifted in his seat uncomfortably.

"I don't know, maybe" Kat stole one of Dean's fries.

"People believe in Santa Claus. How come I'm not gettin' hooked up every Christmas?"

"'Cause you're a bad person" Sam entered the conversation. Kat began to type on her laptop.

"If I would have said that to him you'd hit me" Dean pointed at Sam like a child who always gets told off bullying his younger sibling.

"I can't hit Sam but I can hit you" She smiled. That confused Dean; what did she mean by that? "And check this" She turned the computer towards the boys. On the monitor is a picture of another symbol that Sam had taken a picture of from the wall of the house. It resembled an Egyptian hieroglyphic. "That is a Tibetan spirit sigil on the wall of the house. Craig said they were painting symbols from a theology textbook. I bet you they painted this not even knowing what it was" Kat took another of his fries.

"So what, that sigil has been used for centuries concentrating meditative thoughts like a magnifying glass?"

"Correct Sammy" Kat smiled at him.

"So, people are on the Hell Hounds' website, starin' at the symbol, thinkin' about Mordechai" Dean started ...

"And bam one tulpa comes to life" Kat finished.

"It would explain why he keeps changin'" Dean nodded finally convinced about her theory.

"Right. As the legend changes, people think different things, so Mordechai himself changes, that would also explain why the rock salt didn't work" She smiled, she loved a puzzled and this one had just been solved.

"Yeah, 'cause he's not a traditional spirit, per say" Dean looked over to Sam who continued to scratch himself.

"Yeah" Sam added.

"Okay, so, uh, why don't we just get this spirit sigil thingy off the wall and off the website?" Dean continued to drink his coffee.

"Well, it's not that simple. You see, once tulpa's are created, they take on a life of their own" Kat was typing something on her laptop as she spoke.

"Great. All right, so, if he really is a thought form, how the hell are we supposed to kill an idea?" Dean made it sound impossible. Impossible was their kind of gig.

"Well, it's not gonna be easy with these guys helping us. Check out their homepage" Kat showed the boys a video on the Hell Hound website showing the events from the previous night at the house. "Since they posted the video, the number of hits have quadrupled in the last day alone" Kat sighed and shut her laptop. They sat in silence for a few minutes eating, drinking and thinking. Throw in sleeping and you basically got a day in the life of their little team.

"Huh. I got an idea. Come on" Dean stood up, Sam and Kat exchanged inquisitive expressions and gathered there things.

"Where are we going Dean?" Kat called after him.

"I gotta find a copy store" He waited for them by the exit.

"Man, I think I'm allergic to our soap or somethin'" Dean laughed. "You did this?" Dean laughed again. "You're a friggin' jerk"

"Oh, yeah!" Sam put's his bag over his shoulder and leaves the restaurant. Kat raises her eyebrow at Dean, he stopped laughing.

"What?" She continues to look at him. "What?" She shakes her head and walks out after Sam. "Come on babe that was funny"

Dean drove them to a trailer park not too far from the restaurant. Finding the address of the so called 'Ghost Hunters' was easy, well how could you miss two guys claiming to be paranormal investigators. Dean knocked on the door of their trailer.

"Who is it?" A voice from inside called.

"Come on out here, guys, we hear you in there" Dean shouted to them. When they opened the door Kat laughed. She knew they had never seen a real ghost in their life but she didn't expect them to look the way they did. "Oh, look at that. Action figures in their original packaging. What a shocker" Dean raised his eyebrow too Kat who continued to giggle.

"I don't believe we've meet you miss ...?" The smaller one held out his had to her.

"Elkins, Kat Elkins" She shook it.

"I'm Harry Spangler and this is ..." The taller one with glasses pushed Harry out of the way and took Kat's hand.

"I'm Ed, Ed Zeddmore"

"Right well it's very nice to meet you" Kat forcefully pulled her hand away from him but with a beautiful and friendly smile on her face. She figured they were used to girls being stronger than them anyway. Jealousy and anger rose in Dean; he knew that guys like that wouldn't stand a chance with Kat but still the thought of her being with somebody else, seeing someone else touching her. He really didn't like that.

"Guys, we need to talk" Sam broke the silence.

"Yeah, um, sorry, guys. We're, uh we're a little bit busy right now" Ed wasn't interested.

"Okay, well, we'll make it quick. We need you to shut down your website" Ed laughed at Kat's comment but stopped abruptly at the raise of her eyebrow.

"Miss with all due respect, these guys got us busted last night, we spend the night in a holding cell" Ed explained.

"I had to pee in that cell urinal in front of people. And I get stage fright" Harry added from behind him.

"Why should we trust you guys?" Ed questioned Kat.

"Look, guys, my colleges here they told all about what you guys saw last night, what's in the house. But now, thanks to your website, there are thousands of people hearing about Mordechai" Kat explained in a tone that held a hint of authority and a lot of flirting.

"That's right, which means people are gonna keep showin' up at the Hell House, runnin' into him in person, somebody could get hurt" Dean's words caused them to stop and think.

"Yeah" Ed answered like a child being caught red handed by his father.

"Ed, maybe he's got a point" Harry added. Kat and Dean smiled.

"No, no" Ed smiled back at her.

"Nope" Harry added; both looking as smug as the other but not the sexy kind of smug Dean could get away with the sort of smug you want to punch people in the face for.

"Okay, we have an obligation to our fans, to the truth" Ed made it sound like they had actually made a valid contribution to society.

"Well, I have an obligation to kick both your little asses right now -" Kat stepped in front of Dean, placing her hands on his chest.

"Dean, Dean, hey, hey. Forget it, all right? These guys ... I could probably bitch-slap them both. I could probably even tell them that thing about Mordechai" Ed and Harry exchanged interested glances to one another before returning to Kat. "But they're still not gonna help us. So, let's just go" She took his hand and tugged on his arm.

"Yeah, you're right" Dean followed her with Sam on his heels. Ed and Harry call after them.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. What did you say about? Hold on a second here" Ed chased after them.

"Wait, wait. Yeah, what thing about Mordechai, you guys?" Kat looked over to Sam.

"Don't bother telling them Sammy" She turned away from them to continue walking.

"But Kat if they agree to shut their website down" Kat stopped and turned to face Sam still holding Dean's hand.

"They're not gonna do it. You said so yourself" Dean told him as the gang continued walking in the direction of the impala.

"No, wait, wait. Don't listen to him, okay? We'll do it" They stopped walking and turned to face the pair. "We'll do it"

"It's a secret, Sam" Dean told him.

"Look, it is a pretty big deal, all right? And it wasn't easy to dig up. So, only if we have your word that you'll shut everything down" Sam told them like a school teacher.

"Totally" Ed remarked.

"All right" San turned to Kat holding his hand out. Kat pulled a piece of paper out of her back pocket. She reluctantly handed it to the boys. "It's a death certificate from the thirties. We got it at the library. Now, according to the coroner, the actual cause of death was a self-inflicted gunshot wound"

"That's right, he didn't hang or cut himself" Dean added.

"He shot himself?" Harry questioned.

"Yup. With a 45 pistol. To this day, they say he's terrified of 'em" Sam answered.

" Yeah, as a matter of fact, they say if you shoot him with a 45, loaded with these special wrought-iron rounds, you could kill the son of a bitch" Kat spoke, Ed and Harry smiled. Harry ran back to the trailer and Ed walked behind him.

Back in the restaurant the gang were eating at a booth. On the wall next to them, mounted on a piece of wood, was a painted wooden fisherman holding a fish in his hands. Dean pulled the string under the piece of wood, and the fisherman began to laugh. Sam pulled the string to stop the sound.

"If you pull that string one more time, I'm gonna kill you" Dean pulled the string again, Sam stopped the laughing again. Dean laughed. Kat sat in silence watching the scene unfold.

"Come on, man. You need more laughter in your life, you know, you're way too tense" Sam took a sip of his beer completely ignoring Dean's comment. "They post it yet Kat?"

"We have learned from reputable sources that Mordechai Murdoch has a fatal fear of firearms." Kat read aloud for the boys.

"All right. How long do we wait?" Kat closed her laptop and turned to answer Dean's question.

"Long enough for the new story to spread and the legend to change. I figure by nightfall, iron rounds will work on the sucker" Kat smiled, Sam held up his beer bottle.

"Sweet" Dean tapped his bottle against Sam's and took a drink. Sam smirked. When Dean attempted to put the bottle down it was stuck to his hand. Sam laughed. "You didn't" It was more of a threat than a question. Sam held up a bottle of superglue. Kat had to stop herself from laughing to hold her drink in her mouth.

"Oh, I did" Dean looked shocked. Sam pulled the string and the wooden fisherman began to laugh.

"I feel like I'm in an episode of Scooby Doo" Kat stated as they entered the Hell House. Guns and flashlights at the ready.

"I barely have any skin left on my palm" Dean was still whining about Sam's earlier prank.

"I'm not touchin' that line with a ten-foot pole" Dean shone his flashlight in Sam's face.

"Guys this is no time to be at each other's throats ok? Can we just focus on this job and abuse each other later please?" Kat sighed like a mother on a shopping trip with a pair of misbehaving toddlers. "Fine" Sam agreed.

"Yeah ok whatever" Dean opened a door and they move into another room.  
"Guys, you think old Mordechai's home?" Kat gestured to a door which appeared to be leading into the caller.

"I don't know" Sam moved closer to observe the door.

"Me neither" Came a strange voice. The gang turned and aim their guns. Ed and Harry jumped and screamed.

"Whoa, whoa! Hey!"

"What are you trying to do, get yourself killed?" Kat scolded them without raising her voice; she didn't want Mordechai to turn up right now.

"We're just tryin' to get a book and movie deal, okay?"

"Ed shush" Kat held up her hand and gestured over to the corner of the room. She could hear the sound of sharpening knives coming from behind the door.

"Oh, crap. Uh, guys, you wanna go open that door for us?" Ed asked Dean.

"Why don't you?" Dean gestured to the door in a ladies first sort of way. A moment later, Mordechai burst through the door. Kat and Sam shoot him several times, and he dissolved into a cloud of smoke. Kat held up her hand to Sam for a high five. He returned her gesture and they smiled at one another.

"Oh, he's gone. He's gone" Ed was dumbfounded.

"Did you get him?" Harry asked.

"Oh, yeah, they got him" Ed sounded impressed.

"No, on camera, did you get him on camera?" Harry asked as Ed examined the camera in his hand.

"Uh, I…." Harry grabbed the camera from Ed but Mordechai appeared and destroyed the camera with his axe. Harry fell to the floor, and Mordechai disappeared again.

"Hey. Didn't you guys post that BS story we gave you?" Dean asked as Sam helped Harry to his feet.

"Of course we did" Ed shouted at him.

"Yeah, but then our server crashed" Harry reminded Ed.

"Yeah" Ed turned back to Dean looking a little nervous.

"So, it didn't take?" Kat asked as she kept her gun at the ready.

"Uh…."

"That's a no then boys" Kat sighed. So, these guns don't work" She placed her gun back into her jeans.

"Yeah" Dean rubbed his forehead.

"Great. Sam, any ideas?" Sam looked annoyed.

"We are getting out of here" Harry stated; clearly the alpha male in the relationship.

"Yeah" Ed agreed but couldn't move from the spot.

"Come on, Ed" Harry grabbed him and they turned to leave.

"So now what?" Dean asked Kat and Sam.

"You know If I've learned anything from becoming a hunter it's that when all else fails ... torch the sucker" Kat smirked; Sam and Dean nodded at one another. Unfortunately for them they were distracted by the screams of Ed and Harry.

"The power of Christ compels you. The power of Christ compels you!" The Sam ran into the room where they were being backed into a corner by Mordechai.

"Hey! Come and get it, you ugly son of a bitch" Mordechai swung at Sam, but he ducked and the axe hit the wall. Again, Mordechai swung. This time, he pinned Sam against the wall with his axe and begins to choke him.

"Get out of here! Now!" Kat screamed at the two boys as she entered the room.

"Run!" Ed suggested to Harry.

"Yeah, we're outta here" He and Ed ran.

"Hey!" Kat shouted at Mordechai. She held an aerosol can over a lighter, and it burst into flames. Mordechai let go of Sam and he fell to the floor.

"Go, go, go! Come on" She helped Sam up. "Look, if Mordechai can't leave the house, and we can't kill him, we improvise" She lit the lighter Dean had given her a few moments ago and threw it on the floor. NO way was she throwing her Aerosmith lighter away. The room bursts into flames. She and Sam left the house followed by Mordechai but he stopped at the front door. Dean came out of the window and joined them behind the nearby trees.

"That's the solution? Burn the whole damn place to the ground?" Sam didn't sound too impressed with Kat's idea.

"Well, no one will go in anymore. I mean, look, Mordechai can't haunt a house if there's no house to haunt. It's fast and dirty, but it works" Kat tied her hair into a messy bun as she sat cross legged on the floor. Dean was too busy thinking about Kat's "fast and dirty" sentence.

"But, what if the legend changes again, and Mordechai _is_ allowed to leave the house?" Sam looked over to Dean. He shook his head removing all impure thoughts of him and Kat.

" ... Well, then, we'll just have to come back" They sat in silence for a moment.

"Kind of makes you wonder; of all the things we've hunted, how many existed just 'cause people believed in 'em?" Sam's question made them all thoughtful as they watched the house go up in flames.

They returned to the trailer park to wait for Ed and Harry.

"Gentlemen and lady" Ed greeted them.

"Hey, guys" They start walking together.

"Should we tell 'em?" Harry asked Ed excitedly.

"Oh, you might as well, you know they're just gonna read about it in the trades" Ed was carrying a box of random objects to the car.

"So, this morning, we got a phone call from a very important Hollywood producer"

"Oh, yeah? Wrong number?" Dean joked.

"No, smartass. He read all about the Hell House on our website and wants to option the motion picture rights maybe even have us write it"

"And create the RPG" Harry added.

"The what?" Dean asked.

"Role-playing game" Harry answered.

"Right" Dean still looked confused.

"It's a little lingo for ya. Any who, uh, excuse us, we're off to La-La Land and don't worry miss we will definitely include you" He smiled her and laughed nervously.

"Well, congratulations, guys, that sounds really great thank you" Kat smiled at them.

"Yeah, that's awesome. Best of luck to ya" Dean added.

"Oh, yeah, luck, it's got nothin' to do with it. It's about talent, you know? Sheer, unabashed, talent" He gave them a peace sign. "Later" He and Harry got into their car, which had their trailer attached to it. "See you around" They drove away. The gang started to laugh as they walked back to their car.

"Wow" Dean was shocked. "A movie contract? I wonder who they'll get to play you."

"Actually ... guys I have a confession to make" Kat giggled.

"What's that baby?" Dean linked arms with her.

"I was the one who called them and told them I was a producer" They continued to laugh.

"Well, I'm the one who put the dead fish in their backseat" Dean added. They laughed again; laughing wasn't something that they usually got to do in their line of work.

"Truce?" Sam looked over to Dean.

"Yeah, truce. At least for the next hundred miles" He grinned and Sam sighed.

"Oh that's what I like to see, group hug" Kat opened her arms and the boys stopped in. A clicking noise came from the middle of the hug. Kat stepped back leaving the boys handcuffed to one another. "Now I hope this will teach you to play nice" She took the keys to the Impala from Dean's pocket and got in. "Come on boys, we got work to do chop, chop!"


	18. Chapter 18

Kat kept her eyes on the road, ignoring the ongoing debate between the boys.

"Yeah, you probably missed somethin', that's why" Dean sat in the front seat next to Kat.

"Dude, I ran LexisNexis, local police reports, newspapers—I couldn't find a single red flag. Are you sure you got the coordinates right?" Sam sat in the back with his lap top.

"Yeah, I double-checked. It's Fitchburg, Wisconsin. Look, Dad wouldn't have sent us coordinates if it wasn't important, Sammy and besides Kat checked too" She nodded in agreement; she checked, Dean checked they were correct.

"Well, I'm tellin' you, I looked, and all I could find was a big, steaming pile of nothin'. If Dad's sending us hunting for something, I don't know what" Sam sighed.

"Well, maybe he's gonna meet us there" Kat shook her head in disagreement, John's gone and he's not coming back. Not unless something big was about to go down.

"Yeah, 'cause he's been so easy to find up to this point" Sam rolled his eyes.

"You're a real smartass, you know that? Don't worry, I'm sure there's somethin' in Fitchburg worth killin'" He looked over to Kat for approval but she kept looking forward.

"Yeah? What makes you so sure?" Kat questioned him; he seemed a little taken back it appeared as though she wasn't interested in the topic of John.

"Well, because I'm the oldest, which means I'm always right" Kat and Sam laughed.

"No, it doesn't sweetie and besides I'm only a year younger than you" She turned her head quickly to face him.

"Yeah, it totally does" He kissed the tip of her nose and grinned.

"'Fitchburg. Population 20,501.' Were here boys" Kat gestured to the welcoming sign.

Kat and Sam leant against the car waiting for Dean to return.

He arrived carrying two cups of coffee. He handed one to Sam and then reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a bottle of pop.

"Well, the waitress thinks that the local freemasons are up to somethin' sneaky, but, uh, other than that, nobody's heard about anything weird goin' on"

"Thanks Dean" He smiled at her as she took a sip from the bottle.

"Dean, you got the time?" He checked his watch.

"Ten after four. Why?" Kat loved the way he said after instead of past.

"What's wrong with this picture?" Sam gestured over the road; there was a playground.

"It's deserted" Kat stated. All except for a young girl playing and an older woman watching her from a nearby bench.

"School's out, isn't it?" Dean asked them both.

"Yeah. So, where is everybody? This place should be crawlin' with kids right now" Kat began to walk across the street before Sam could even finish his sentence. She sat down on the bench next to the woman.

"It sure is quiet out here" Kat smiled.

"Yeah, it's a shame" She frowned, Kat raised her eyebrow.

"Why is that?" Kat questioned.

"You know, kids getting sick. It's a terrible thing"

"Oh no we have only just moved into town, me and my ... fiancé. How many are we talking?"

"Just five or six, but serious, hospital serious. A lot of parents are getting pretty anxious. They think it's catching"

"That's terrible" Kat watched the woman's daughter on the monkey bars.

"Planning on having kids of your own?" Her question interrupted Kat's thoughts.

"No" Her firm answer. "No we move around a lot, me and my fiancé, our job and I'm not exactly the mothering type... anyway I better be going thank you for your time"

"Have a nice day dear" Kat ran back over to the Impala and got into the passenger seat. Dean and Sam nodded as if to indicate that she should tell them what she found out.

"The hospital"

They enter the lobby. Dean and Sam in their 'monkey' suits and Kat dressed in her pin stripe jacket and matching skirt. A little too short for her liking but Dean picked it out for her. He looked very nice in his suit; not as nice as he would look out of it but ...

"Kat"

"What? Yeah I'm listening" She looked at Sam.

"I am not using this ID, haven't you got another one?"

"Why not?" Kat looked over to Dean. "What have you done?"

"Kat it says "bikini inspector" on it" Dean laughed at Sam's comment.

"Don't worry Sammy, I'm sure she won't look that close" She attempted to hold her laughter back.

"Hell, she won't even ask to see it. It's all about confidence, Sam" Dean turned Sam towards the front desk. Kat tugged on her skirt.

"You look very nice"

"Thanks you don't look so bad yourself" She winked at him. They waited as Sam spoke to the young lady behind the desk. He nodded at her and began to walk up the corridor. They joined him.

"See? I told you it'd work" Sam shook his head.

"Follow me. It's upstairs"

They walked down one of the many identical white hallways, Dean stopped. Kat turned to see what had caught his attention. An old woman sitting in a wheelchair turned to look at them with cold, steely eyes. Kat noticed an inverted cross on her wall and figured that was what caught Dean's attention in the first place. The woman turned away from them.

"Kat, Dean" Sam nodded his head towards the end of the hallway. They followed him.

They had found the doctor in charge of dealing with the case outside of the children's room.

"Well, thanks for seein' us, Dr. Hydecker." Dean smiled.

"Oh, I'm glad you guys are here. I was just about to call the CDC myself. How'd you find out, anyway?" The doctor replied.

"Oh, some GP, I forget his name, he called Atlanta, and, uh, must have beat you to the punch" Dean continued.

"So, you're dealing with six cases so far is that correct?" Kat readjusted her black rimmed glasses.

"Yeah, in five weeks at first, we thought it was garden-variety bacterial pneumonia not that newsworthy. But now…" He looked over to a young boy in a coma.

"Now what?" Kat raised her eyebrow.

"The kids aren't responding to antibiotics. Their white cell counts keep goin' down. Their immune systems just aren't doin' their job. It's like their bodies are wearing out"

"Excuse me, Dr. Hydecker" A nurse joined them in the corridor.

"You ever see anything like this before?" Sam questioned them both.

"Never this severe" The doctor replied as he signed the clipboard that the nurse has brought him.

"The way it spreads that's a new one for me" She took the clipboard from the doctor.

"What do you mean?" Sam continued.

"It works its way through families, but only the children one sibling after another" Dean and Kat exchanged worried glances.

"Do you mind if we interview a few of the kids?" Kat asked politely.

"They're not conscious" The nurse frowned.

"None of them?" Sam's voice was filled with shock.

"No"

"Can we, uh can we talk to the parents?" Dean shrugged.

"If you think it'll help"

Kat joined the boys near a vending machine to report on her findings.

"Right so I talked to Miles Tarnower, Mary and her younger sister both developed "pneumonia" with-in twenty four hours of one another. He can't think of any explanation except an open window" She shrugged to suggest that she thought that was nonsense. "Boys I'm no doctor but I don't think sleeping with an open window for one night could have this much of an effect"

"Did the dad open the window?" Sam questioned as he munched on his chocolate bar.

"Well her rooms on the second floor and has no ledge so ... no one normal could have opened it" Dean handed her the remains of his M&M's. "Thanks"

"You know, this might not be anything supernatural. It might just be pneumonia" Sam suggested.

"Maybe. Or maybe somethin' opened that window. I don't know, man, look, Dad sent us down here for a reason. I think we might be barkin' up the right tree"

"I'll tell you one thing"

"What's that Sammy?" Kat and Dean looked over at him.

"That guy we just talked to? I'm bettin' it'll be a while before he goes home"

Kat lay on the backseat of the Impala. The front doors opened and Sam and Dean appeared.

"What did you find guys?" Dean handed her his phone with a picture of a long black handprint that had been rotted into the wooden window ledge.

"A Shtriga?" Kat looked at Dean, he nodded.

"What the hell is a Shtriga?" Sam turned to the side so that he could see both of them.

"It's kind of like a witch, I think. I don't know much about 'em" He shuck his head in annoyance.

"A shtrigia comes from Albanian folklore meaning vampiric witch that sucks the blood of infants while they sleep" Kat nodded and smiled.

"How do you know all this?" Dean smiled at her in amazement.

"What can I say I'm just awesome" She smiled back.

"Well, I've never heard of it. And it's not in Dad's journal" Sam interrupted.

"Dad hunted one in Fort Douglas, Wisconsin about sixteen, seventeen years ago. You were there, you don't remember?" Dean told Sam.

"No"

"Yeah, I guess he caught wind that the thing's in Fitchburg now and kicked us the coordinates"

"So, this…" Sam hesitated.

"Shtriga" Kat and Dean said in unison.

"Right. You think it's the same one Dad hunted before?"

"Yeah, maybe" Kat got the impression that Dean was avoiding the subject.

" But if Dad went after it, why is it still breathing air?" Kat shuck her head at him as if to tell him to drop the subject.

"'Cause it got away" Dean snapped.

"Got away?"

"Yeah, Sammy, it happens" Kat smiled.

"Not very often" Sam would not drop it.

"Well, I don't know what to tell you, I mean, maybe Dad didn't have his Wheaties that morning"

"What else do you remember?" Sam kept pushing and pushing.

"Nothin', I was a kid, all right?" Dean started the engine and they drove to the nearest motel in silence.

After they checked in they all settled down in their room and began to research the case.

"Well, you were right Kat. It wasn't very easy to find, but you were right. A Shtriga _is_ a kind of witch. They're Albanian, but legends about 'em date back to ancient Rome. They feed off of spiritus vitae"

"Spiri-what?" Dean asked.

"Vitae. It's Latin—it translates to "breath of life". Kind of like your life force or essence" Kat continued to flick through John's diary. She knew that Sam had told her earlier that there was nothing about the Shtriga in it but she wanted to double check.

"Didn't the doctor say the kids' bodies were wearin' out?" Dean looked at Kat and she nodded.

" Well if she takes your vitality, maybe your immunity goes to hell, pneumonia takes hold. Anyway, Shtriga's can feed off anyone, but they prefer-" Dean cut her off.

"Children"

"Yeah. Probably because they have stronger life force" Kat frowned at him. He just continued to stare at her.

"And get this guys Shtrigas are invulnerable to all weapons devised by God and man" Sam seemed not to notice the silent conversation between his brother and Kat.

"No. That's not right. She's vulnerable when she feeds" Dean never broke eye contact with Kat.

"What?"

"If you catch her when she's eating, you can blast her with consecrated wrought irons, buckshots, or rounds, I think" Dean spoke matter of factly.

"How do you know that?" Sam questioned.

" Dad told me. I remember" Kat raised her eyebrow.

" Oh. So, uh, anything else Dad might have mentioned?" Sam looked up at Dean.

"No. That's it" Sam stared at him. "What?"

"Nothin'"

" Okay, so, assuming we _can_ kill it when it feeds, we still have find it first, which isn't going be a cakewalk. Shtrigas take on a human disguise when they're not hunting" Kat stood up and walked over to the window.

"What kind of human disguise?" Dean followed her with his eyes.

"Historically, something innocuous it could be anything. But it's usually a feeble old woman, which may be how the whole witches-as-old-crones legend got started" Dean took out a map from his bag.

"Hang on" He told her.

"What is it sweetie?" She placed her hand on his lower back .

" Check this out. I marked down all the addresses of the victims. Now, these are the houses that have been hit so far, and dead centre?" He pointed.

"The hospital" She smiled. She was impressed.

"The hospital. When we were there, I saw a patient—an old woman"

"An old person, huh?" Sam commented from his bed.

" Yeah" Dean continued.

"In the hospital? Whew. Better call the coast guard" He laughed and looked over at Kat expecting her to join in as she normally did.

"I saw her too, she had an inverted cross hanging on her wall Sam" His smile faded.

Sam and Dean had gone to investigate the old lady in the hospital. Kat had stayed behind to continue the research into dealing with the witch once they had caught her feeding. She stood up and began to stretch, she looked out of the window and saw a little boy sitting alone on a bench. She went outside and walked over to the vending machine next to the boy. She placed her money in and began to press the buttons. She collected her chocolate and opened it. She sat next to the boy and handed him a piece of chocolate.

"Hey sweetie, what's wrong?" She smiled at him.

"My brother's sick"

"I'm sorry to hear that, I'm Kat"

"I'm Michael"

"What's wrong with your brother?"

"Pneumonia. He's in the hospital. It's my fault"

"Oh, come on, how?"

"I should've made sure the window was latched. He wouldn't have gotten pneumonia if the window was latched" Kat frowned as she handed him a bit more chocolate.

"Listen to me. I can promise you that this is not your fault, okay?"

"It's my job to look after him"

"I know what you mean; my – friend has a younger brother and he loves him more than anything in the world"

"More than you?" He looked up at her.

"Me?"

"I saw you guys check in, aren't you too married?"

"No sweetie were not"

"But you're in love?"

"... I love him, he loves me but blood is thicker than water"

"Oh ... he looks at you the way my daddy used to look at my mommy"

"Well –"

"Michael" An older woman came outside with her arms full of blankets and pillows; she puts the items in the passenger seat of her car. "I want you to turn on the "No Vacancy" sign while I'm gone. I've got Denise covering room service, so don't bother with any of the rooms"

"I'm going with you"

"Not now, Michael"

" But I gotta see Asher!"

"Hey, Michael sweetie, hey, your moms got a lot she needs to do now so you need to be there for her ok?" He nodded. His mother shut the car door and dropped her purse.

"Dammit!"

" I got it" Kat picked it up and handed it to her. "Here"

" Thanks"

" Hey, listen, you're in no condition to drive. Why don't you let me give you a lift to the hospital, huh?"

"No, I couldn't possibly-"

" No, it's no trouble. I insist" She considered it for a moment, then handed her the keys.

"Thanks" She kissed Michael's forehead." Be good" She got into the car and Kat shut her door.

"Don't worry I'll look after your mom" She smiled. He nodded.

Kat sat on a bench outside the hospital, she took out her phone and dialled Dean's number.

"Hey Dean"

"Hey babe you ok?" She smiled at the sound of his voice.

"I'm fine, a little tired but fine" She twisted a piece of her hair between her fingers.

"How's the kid?" Dean sounded concerned.

"He's not good Dean ... Where are you?" She wanted him with her.

" At the library, i'm lookin' at a photograph right now of a bunch of doctors standing around a kid's bed. One of the doctors is Hydecker"

"And?" Kat sounded confused.

"And this picture was taken in 1893"

"You sure?" Kat stood up.

"Kat! Meet us at the motel do you understand?" He ordered her, he was not going to let her confront it on her own.

"... Yeah" In any normal circumstances she would have gone in their on her own but she knew that this case was important to Dean. She didn't know why but that didn't matter.

By the time Kat arrived the boys were already there and in mid conversation.

"We should have thought of this before. A doctor's a perfect disguise. You're trusted, you can control the whole thing" Kat stated slamming the door.

"Huh. That son of a bitch" Dean looked angry.

"I'm surprised you didn't draw on him right there" Sam looked over to Kat.

"I'm not gonna open fire in a paediatric ward now am I?"

" Good call" Sam was impressed. Self control was rare in a hunter as young as her especially one driven by revenge.

"And it wouldn't have done any good because he's bulletproof unless he's feeding"

"I probably would've just burned a clip in him off of principle alone" Dean joined the conversation.

" Gettin' wise in your old age, Dean" Sam teased.

"Damn right. So now I know how we're gonna get it" He stood up.

"What do you mean?" Kat turned away from Sam to face Dean.

" This Shtriga—it works through siblings, right?" He questioned her. She knew what he was going to say.

"Michael" Kat nodded.

"We gotta get him outta here" Sam shut his laptop.

"No. No, that'd blow the whole deal" Dean told him.

"What?" Sam asked but Kat knew what he was going to suggest.

"He wants us to use the kid as bait" Kat told Sam never taking her eyes off of Dean. He raised his eyebrows in agreement.

" Are you nuts? No! Forget it, that's out of the question" Sam began to get up and make his way over to the living area of their motel room. Kat took a seat on the table.

"It's not out of the question, Sam, it's the only way. If this thing disappears, it could be years before we get another chance" Dean looked to her for support but she said nothing.

"Michael's a kid. And I'm not gonna dangle him in front of that thing like a worm on a hook" Sam looked over to Kat. Why was it always left to her to settle the sibling disputes.

"Dad did not send me here to walk away" Dean told the both of them with conviction.

"Send _you_ here? He didn't send you here, he sent _us_ here" Sam gestured to them all in turn.

"This isn't about you, Sam!" He turned away from both of them. "All right, I'm the one that screwed up. It's my fault. There's no tellin' how many kids have gotten hurt because of me" Kat stood up and placed her hand on his back.

"Dean? Sweetie how is it your fault?" She spoke softly but he stayed silent. Sam sighed heavily. "Dean, you've been hiding something from the get-go. Since when does Dad bail on a hunt? Since when does he let something get away?" Dean turned to face them. He looked down at Kat.

"Dean you can tell us" She smiled.

"Fort Douglas, Wisconsin" He finally spoke after a long silence. "It was the third night in this crap room, and I was climbin' the walls, man. I needed to get some air. I checked on you, you were asleep so I headed outside and over to the arcade across the street. When I got back the Shtriga was sucking the life out of you. Dad burst in and shot at it but it got away. Dad just grabbed us and booked—dropped us off at Pastor Jim's about three hours away. By the time we got back to Fort Douglas, the shtriga disappeared. It was just gone. It never resurfaced until now. Dad never spoke about it again. I didn't ask. But he, uh—he looked at me different, you know—which was worse. Not that I blame him. He gave me an order, and I didn't listen. I almost got you killed" Dean had tears in his eyes.

"You were just a kid" Kat snapped; she hated John and this was the reason why.

"Don't—don't. Dad knew this was unfinished business for me. And he sent me here to finish it" They locked stares. He was an idiot when it came to John.

"But using Michael? I don't know, Dean. I mean, how about one of us hides under the cover, you know, we'll be the bait?" Sam broke the silence.

"No, that won't work. It's gotta get close enough to feed. It'll see us. Believe me, I don't like it. But it's gotta be the kid" He stood up and walked over to the doors with tears in his eyes.

Dean returned from his chat with Michael.

"Well, that went crappy. Now what?" He sat down on the end of the bed that Kat was lying on.

What did you expect? You can't ask an adult to do something like that, much less a kid" She sat up and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Kat he likes you can't you-"

"No" She cut him off "I can't do that, I'm not going to-" There was a knock at the door. Dean stood up and opened it. It was Michael.

"If you kill it, will Asher get better?" Dean turned and glanced at Kat.

"Honestly sweetie, we don't know" Kat smiled at him.

"You said you're a big brother?" He looked up at Dean.

"Yeah"

" You'd take care of your little brother? You'd do anything for him?" Kat smiled she would have loved a sibling.

"Yeah, I would" He looked over to Sam. Sam smiled at him.

"Me, too. I'll help" Michael looked over to Kat.

"Come on let's go get you a chocolate bar" She stood up and escorted him out of the room.

Kat sat in front of a monitor viewing a live feed from Michael's bedroom, where Dean was setting up the camera.

" Now, this camera has night vision on it, so we'll be able to see as clear as day" Dean reassured Michael. He turned towards the camera. "Are we good Kitkat?"

"Little to the right sweetie!" Dean adjusted the camera "There, there" She turned to face Sam. "You're lucky" She told him.

"I know" He smiled.

"I wish I had a brother to look out for me" She observed the monitor Dean was talking to Michael.

"Well if the job's still vacant I'd like to apply" Sam smiled brightly at her.

"... Your hired" He opened his arms and she stepped in.

"Kat ... I like you"

"I like you too Sam" She laughed.

"No you know what I mean, I know you'll look after us. Me and Dean I mean"

"Of course I will, I promised your mom" She smiled at him.

"Thanks Kat ... it means a lot to have someone who isn't Dean to talk to"

"Well I'm always here for you Sammy ... I get why you can't always talk to Dean so don't worry I can keep my mouth shut" He remembered the incident with bloody Marry and Kat had kept her word and did not tell Dean about Sam's dreams about Jess.

"Thanks Kat" The door opened and Dean stepped in.

"Hey is Michael ok?" Kat asked turning to Dean.

"He's fine, we just gotta wait now" He sat down in Kat's previous seat. She sat on his lap and they all stared at the screen in silence.

Hours past, Dean's hands found their way to Kat's hips, he absentmindedly drew circles and squiggles on her. She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

"Asleep already" He whispered to Sam "What time is it?" He checked his watch.

"Three. You sure these iron rounds are gonna work?"

"Consecrated iron rounds. And, yeah, it's what Dad used last time"

"Hey, Dean, I'm sorry" Kat smiled.

" For what?" Dean sounded confused, Kat couldn't see his face but she knew he'd have his eyebrow raised. She thought he was cute when he was confused. Sam sighed.

"Well, you know….I've really given you a lot of crap for always followin' Dad's orders. But I know why you do it" Kat felt a little guilty but the way John had treated Dean in the past infuriated her.

"Oh, God, kill me now" Kat elbowed Dean. "Wait, look"

"What is it?" She sat up. The Shtriga unlocked the window and entered the bedroom. Sam and Dean quietly picked up their guns. The Shtriga stood by the bed for a moment.

"Now?" Sam questioned.

"Not yet" Kat whispered. The Shtriga moved closer to the bed and bent down over Michael, it the began to suck out his life force.

"Now" Kat ordered. They burst into the bedroom. "Hey!"She shouted. The Shtriga turned to face them. " Michael sweetie, get down!"He rolled off the bed and crawled under it. Sam and Dean shot the Shtriga many times and it fell to the ground. "Mike, you all right sweetie?" Kat knelt down and held put her hand towards him. He ran to her and she wrapped her arms around him.

"Yeah" He hugged her tightly.

"Sit tight" Dean nodded at Kat, she winked. He and Sam walked over to the Shtriga, Sam lowered his gun. Suddenly, the Shtriga bolted upright and through Dean into the closet across the room.

"Dean!" Kat and Sam shouted simultaneously. The Shtriga pushed Sam to the ground and began to choke him. Sam attempted to pick up his gun, but he could not reach it. Kat dived towards the gun as the Shtriga lowered its head and began to suck out Sam's life force. Kat aimed it at the Shtriga.

"Hey!" It turned and Dean shot it between the eyes. It fell to the ground again.

"You okay, little brother?" Breathing heavily, Sam gave Dean a thumbs-up. Dean helped Kat to her feet and they looked at the Shtriga's body. Kat and Dean glanced at one another before they both pointed their guns at it and shot it three more times, it disappeared into nothing except a pile of robes on the floor. Kat turns to Michael.

"You alright sweetie?" He nodded and smiles gratefully at her and Dean, they smiles back.

The next morning Dean and Sam had begun loading the trunk of the Impala, Kat came outside and noticed Michael's mother approaching.

"Hey, how's Asher doing?"

"Have you seen Michael?" She ignored Kat's question. Michael came outside.

"Mom, Mom!" He ran to her and threw his arms around her.

"Hey!"

" How's Ash?"

"I've got some good news. Your brother's gonna be fine"

"Really?"

"Yeah, really. No one can explain it. It's a miracle" Michael and Kat exchanged a glance "They're gonna keep him in overnight for observation, but after that, he's comin' home"

"That's great. How are all the other kids doing?" Kat asked her already knowing the answer.

"Good. Real good. A bunch of them should be checkin' out in a few days. Dr. Travis says the ward's gonna be like a ghost town"

"Dr. Travis? What about Dr. Hydecker?"

"Oh, he wasn't in today—must've been sick or something"

"Yeah. Yeah, must have"

"Mm. So, did anything happen while I was gone?"

"No. Same old stuff. Kat here took good care of me" He smiled at her.

"Really? You shouldn't have"

"No he was no trouble really" She ruffled his hair.

" Okay well thanks again. You can go see Ash" She told Michael.

" Now?" He looked from his mom to Kat.

"Only if you want to" He smiled and looked at Kat, she nodded at him.

"Thanks Kat" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a chocolate bar. He handed it to her.

"Your more than welcome sweetie" She knelt down and gave him a big hug. He ran to the car.

"I better get going before he hotwires the car and drives himself" They exchange smiles and she walked away. Dean closed the trunk. Kat made her way over to the boys.

"It's too bad" Sam took the piece of chocolate that Kat held out to him. He nodded in thanks.

"Oh, they'll be fine"

"No, that's not what I meant. I meant Michael. He will always know there are things out there in the dark. He'll never be the same, you know?" Dean and Kat nodded. "Sometimes I wish that…."

"What sweetie?" Kat smiled at him.

"I wish I could have that kind of innocence" Dean turned and watched as Michael and his mother drive out of the parking lot. He turned back to Sam.

"If it means anything, sometimes I wish you could, too" He got into the car. Sam and Kat exchanged smiles and then joined him inside.

""I was sleepin' with my peepers open" Sam burst out laughing remembering the incident from earlier when they had attempted to confront the old lady in the hospital.

"It's not funny Sam I almost smoked that old gal, I swear"

"Oh, Kat, you should've seen his face"

"Yeah, well, laugh it up ... hey where's my chocolate?"


	19. Chapter 19

The gang sat in a crowded bar, Sam was flipping the pages of his father's journal. Kat and Dean stood at the bar ordering another round. Sam picked up a newspaper that laid on a nearby table - "Couple's Throats Slashed in Own Home" Kat and Dean arrived back at the table.

"All right, so, I think I got somethin'" Sam thanked Kat for his drink and passed her the paper.

"What do you got there Sammy?" Only she could get away with calling him that.

"Mark and Anne Telesca of New Paltz, New York were both found dead in their home just a few days ago" She read aloud to Dean.

"Mmhmm" He took a sip of his drink.

"Throats were slit, there were no prints, no murder weapons. No prints, no murder weapons, all doors and windows were locked from the inside ... sounds like something to me" Kat placed the paper on the table and turned to Dean.

"Could just be a garden-variety murder, you know, not our department" Kat sighed at his comment.

"No, Dad says different" Sam announced, Kat rolled her; now John was involved Dean would agree to check it out.

"What do you mean?" Dean asked eagerly, Kat scoffed – he was so predictable.

"Look" He turned the journal towards them. " Dad noted three murders in the same area of upstate New York" He pointed to some notes on the page. "First one, right here, 1912, the second one in 1945, and the third in 1970. The same M.O. as the Telescas—the throats were slit, the houses were locked from the inside. Now, so much time passed between the murders that nobody checked the pattern, except for Dad. He always kept his eyes peeled for another one"

" And now we got one" Kat took a huge gulp of her drink and placed the glass on the table.

"Exactly" Sam smiled at her.

" All right, I'm with ya. It's worth checkin' out" Sam and Kat exchanged a glance sort of to indicate to one another that even if Dean would have said no they still would have checked it out together.

Dean sat asleep in the passenger seat of the Impala, parked outside the Telesca Residence. Sam and Kat came out of the house and headed towards the car. Kat grins devilishly at Sam and leaned into the open window; she honked the horn Dean jumped up. Sam and Kat burst into a fit of laughter.

"That is so not cool babe" She stuck her tongue out at him as they both got into the car.

"So we just swept the Telesca house with the EMF. It's clean" Kat started the engine.

" I took the history of the house last night. No hauntings, no violent crimes, nothing strange about the Telescas themselves either" Sam added buckling his seat belt.

"All right, so if it's not the people and it's not the house, then, uh….maybe it's the contents—a cursed object or somethin'" Sam shuck his head.

"Sweetie at risk of sounding like a horror movie cliché the house is clean" Kat told Dean.

" Yeah, I know, you said that" He raised an eyebrow.

" No sweetie, I mean, it's empty. No furniture, nothing"

" Where's all their stuff?" Dean asked her.

Kat sat in the car while the boys attempted to blend in with the high class crowd that had gathered in the auction house where the dead couples stuff had been taken too. She told them it would never work. Sam maybe but Kat and Dean; her all in black with converse and him with his tattered leather jacket and biker boots – no way. The boys appeared at the door along with escorts. They got into the car, a look of defeat on Dean's face, he took out his wallet and handed Kat $20.

"Told ya" She winked and drove off. "But to be fair you lasted longer than I thought you would"

They entered their motel room. It had a seventies theme; I covered in disco-patterned wallpaper and chrome furniture.

"Huh" Was the brother's reaction.

"Wow this is awesome!" Kat bounced up and down on the spot. Dean laughed and shook his head; only Kat he thought.

"What was it, the providence?" Dean asked Sam as they all scattered around the room unpacking their stuff.

"Does he mean a provenance Sammy?" Kat shouted from the bathroom, followed by a giggle. Dean mouthed the word attempting to pronounce it.

" It's a certificate of origin, like a biography, you know? We can use 'em to check the history of the pieces, see if anything's got a freaky past" Sam told him as he folded his clothes and placed them in a draw next to his bed.

"Huh. Well, we're not gettin' anything out of Chuckles, but, uh, Sarah?" He smirked at Sam. Kat appeared at the bathroom door.

"Sarah?" She raised her eye at Sam with a huge smile on her face.

"Yeah. Maybe you can get her to write it all down on a cocktail napkin" Dean chuckled; Kat felt a wave of jealousy.

"Not Dean" She spoke without thinking – a habit of hers; she often told Dean that her mouth was not connected to her brain. Dean nodded in agreement.

" Oh, no, no, no, no. Pickups are your thing, Dean" He had that look on his face ; his 'there's no way I am going to do that' look.

" It wasn't my butt she was checkin' out" Dean told him with a raised eyebrow complete with a smirk.

"In other words, you want me to use her to get information" Sam sighed.

"Sometimes, you gotta take one for the team" He held out his cell phone to Sam. "Call her"

Kat and Dean sat alone in their room; Sam had gone on his date leaving them to obsess like crazed parents.

"I'm so nervous" Kat told Dean from her seat on Sam's bed.

"It's not your date babe" He was on his and Kat's bed.

"I know but ... isn't it his first date since Jess?" She frowned. Dean sighed.

"I can't remember the last time I had a date" Kat stared at the ceiling.

"Really?" Dean was shocked, a beautiful woman like Kat men should be lining up.

"Well when you're a hunter you don't stay in the same place for more than a few days and I'm not exactly into one night stands" He knew this was coming after Sam had opened his big mouth.

"Err about before what Sam said – pickups being my thing, it – I"

"It's non of my business" As much as she would like it to be her business.

"But-" He frowned. He wish he could tell her but it was too dangerous, he didn't want Kat meeting the same fate and Mary and Jess.

"What you do with random ... women" She really wanted to say whores but she figured that may indicate the fact that she was insanely jealous just a little too much. "On your own time is your business not mine" She got up and stormed into the bathroom, slamming the door shut.

"I haven't done that since I meet you" He whispered to himself.

Kat lay in the bath attempting to calm down; she had always had a short fuse. She heard Sam enter their room and muffle talking between the boys. She ignored it, closing her eyes. A knock came at the door.  
"Kat?" It was Dean, calling her Kat – that was rare. She frowned this was her fault, she overreacted.

"Yes sweetie?" She stood up and wrapped a towel around her dripping body. She opened the door.

"Err ..." His mind went blank. Kat, wet in nothing but a towel. "I ... me and Sam" He looked up at the door frame. "Were goin to check out a painting at the action house, I say check out I mean burn but yeah" He began to babble as his gaze returned to her; he watched a droplet of water fall from her neck all the way down to the valley between her bre-.

"Dean! You coming or what?" Sam shouted from the hallway.

"Yeah so we'll be back late is that ok?" She smiled at him.

"Of course and I know the drill - any problems call you and you'll be back as quickly as possible" He smiled back at her, he leaned in and kissed her forehead.

"That's my girl" He tapped her nose and turned walking out of the door.

"if only I was" She sighed and continued her bath. When she had finally had enough she threw on a pair of black shorts and a Guns and Roses top that Dean had kindly donated to her months ago.

"I swear I'm rapidly losing clothes – this is wrong I'm a woman is should be gaining them by the bucket load" Kat was rummaging through her duffle bag in the rundown motel her and Dean had checked into about ten minutes previous.

"What you looking for babe?" He was sat on the single bed in the centre of the room.

"Something to wear in bed!" She was throwing her clothes all over the floor.

"you could always wear nothing" He told her quietly.

"I heard that" She flipped him off and continued her rummage.

"I swear you have the hearing of a bat" He laughed to himself. "Here" She turned and watched as he slid the top he was wearing over his head and threw it at her. She enjoyed the view very, very much.

"Thanks" She caught it.

"You're welcome, now stop staring at me, I am not a piece of meat!" He winked at her and laughed.

She loved that shirt, it was warm and for a few nights smelt exactly like Dean. She got in to bed and picked up her phone, she hadn't called Danny for a few weeks. No answer, again no answer. "Huh" She left an answer phone message for him to call her a.s.a.p. she figured he was on a hunt. She closed her eyes and drifted off into a deep sleep.

" We've got a problem, I can't find my wallet" Deans voice woke her.

"How is that my problem?" Sam responded. Kat sat up.

"What's going on?" She rubbed her stormy eyes.

" I lost my wallet and it's a problem 'cause I think I dropped it in the warehouse last night" Kat and Sam exchanged looks of confusion.

" You're kidding, right?" Kat stretched and got up heading to the mini fridge.

"Yeah, it's got my prints, my ID"

"Your fake ID" Kat added as she pulled out a bottle of water.

"We've gotta get it before somebody else finds it, come on" Dean gestured for them to follow.

"Can I at least get dressed first?" Her and Sam exchanged glances, I-really-can't-be-bothered-to-go glance.

Kat sat in the Impala staring at her phone, still no answer from her uncle. Dean strolled out of the building and got into the passenger side.

"Find your wallet?" She placed her phone into the pocket of her skinny jeans, black of course. He produced his wallet from his jacket pocket. "What have you done?" She sighed.

"Told Sarah that we were sticking around for another few days" He smirked.

"Ohh that's devious, I like it" Kat smiled.

"Come on let's leave the kids to it, breakfast on me"

"Sounds like a plan"

Kat and Dean stood outside the motel door.

"Shall we knock or -" Kat shrugged at Dean's question.

"We can't just walk in Dean they might be ... you know" She raised her eyebrow at him.

"Might be what?" He teased her.

"Having sex, you happy now?" She folder her arms.

"Yep, I don't hear any noises do you?" Kat laughed.

"Noises? ... Come on just knock" Before they could reach the door Sam pulled it open.

"What are you guys doing?" He asked like they were up to no good. Which this time they weren't. For a change.

"Nothing" They said in unison.

"Well we got a problem" He moved aside and gestured for them to come inside.

"What was your performance not up to scratch?" Kat giggled. Dean burst into laughs at her comment.

"Sarah sold the painting last night at a charity auction" He ignored her jest.

"What?" Kat looked over at Dean.

"We burned that damn thing" He told her.

"Thanks captain obvious" Kat rolled her eyes. "It's ok all we gotta do is think of another way to get rid of it" She sat on the bed.

"Any ideas?" Sam asked her.

"Well lore would suggest that when dealing with haunted paintings it always the subject of the painting that haunts them" Sam always wondered why and how she knew all of this stuff.

"Yeah? All right, so, we need to figure out everything there is to know about that creepy-ass family in that creepy-ass painting?" Dean sighed.

"Yep, I feel a trip to the library is in order" Kat stood up pulling the keys from her pocket.

"I was afraid you were gonna say that" Dean followed her out of the door.

"Guys check this out" Kat gestured to Sam and Dean. "It seems this guy Isaiah slit his kids' throats, then his wife, then himself with a straight razor" She pushed her thick rimmed glasses up her nose.

"Why'd he do it?" Sam put down the book he was currently reading.

"Uh - "people who knew him described Isaiah as having a stern and harsh temperament and controlled his family with an iron fist." - Wife, two sons, adopted daughter—yeah, yeah—there were whispers that the wife was gonna take the kids and leave so instead, Old Man Isaiah well you know" She shut the book.

"Does it say what happened to the bodies?" Dean was sat doing nothing as usual.

"It just says they were all cremated" Sam picked up the book and began to flick through the pages.

He opened the book at the page with the image that depicted the painting and turned it towards them. "The painting at the auction house the Dad's looking down, here the Dad's looking out. The painting has changed" He looked over at Dean for confirmation.

"All right, so, you think Daddy Dearest is trapped in the painting? He's handin' out Columbian neckties like he did with his family?" Dean took the book out of his hand.

"Yeah, it seems like it. But if his bones are already dusted, then how are we gonna stop him?" Sam looked from Kat to Dean.

"All right, well, if Isaiah's position changed, maybe some other things in the painting changed as well. It could give us some clues" Dean dropped the book on the table.

"What, like a _DaVinci Code _deal?" Kat smiled.

"I don't know, I'm still waitin' for the movie on that one. Anyway, we gotta get back in and see that painting" He turned to Sam. "Which is a good thing because you can get some more time to crush on your girlfriend"

" Dude, enough already" Sam snapped.

" What?" Dean frowned.

""What?" Ever since we got here, you've been tryin' to pimp me out to Sarah. Just back off, all right?" Kat took the book and walked off to put it back where she had found it.

"Well, you like her, don't you?" Sam shuck his head in annoyance. He then leaned in closer.

"What like you like Kat?" Dean shot a glance in the direction she had gone. There was no sign of her.

"Shut up! ... you like her, she likes you, you're both consenting adults" Sam sighed.

"What's the point, Dean? We'll just leave. We always leave ... you're lucky she's always here" He rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"It's not that simple ok" Dean's tone held a hint of anger.

"Why isn't it? ... you love her, she loves you so why?" He couldn't understand; they had it made and yet they chose to complicate things.

"Leave it alone" Dean told him straight. Sam stood up and retrieved his phone from his pocket with the intention of calling Sarah.

Dean stood up and looked around, he saw Kat browsing the fiction section. He walked over to the other side of the library.

"Babe, what's wrong?" He could tell there was something bothering her, for a start all days she's been twisting her ring and gripping her pentacle.

"Its Danny ... I've been calling for the last few days and there's no answer" She pulled out a book and glanced at the blurb.

"I'm sure he's fine, probably out on a job" He smiled.

"Yeah ... I hope your right" She turned to face him. She took a deep breath.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" He frowned.

"I didn't want to bother you" She slid the book back in its place. He took her hands and pulled her closer to him. She avoided his gaze. He gently tilted her chin.

"Listen, you can tell me anything, you know that right?" He stared into her eyes. They were beautiful, deep grey just like the ocean in a storm. He could look into them for hours.

"I ... err, after this case if I still haven't heard from him then I'm going to have to ..." She knew what she was about to say would just enforce his fears of abandonment but he was her Uncle.

"Leave" He couldn't believe it ... or maybe he could; this was what he feared but at the same time he saw an opportunity to save her. He turned and began to walk away. She followed him outside. She knew this was going to get heated and a library wasn't exactly a good place for shouting.

"Don't you dare Dean Winchester!" She shouted at him gaining Sam's attention. He shut his phone and turned to them.

"Excuse me?" His plan was working, she was getting frustrated.

"You're telling me that if you had no answer from John you wouldn't drop everything and go to see if he's ok?" Silence followed. "Yeah that's what I thought" She rubbed her forehead, tears welled in her eyes. "I gave up my search for the man that murdered my family to help you and your father, so don't you dare accuse me of leaving you high and dry!" She clenched her fists.

"Just go Kat ... I always knew you would" He was sure that would push her over the edge.

"I knew this was coming that's why I didn't want to tell you" She wiped the tears from her eyes.

"You knew?" He didn't understand what she meant by that, Knew what?

"When that shapeshifter took me, he was you, not just your appearance he had your memories, your feelings, your fears" He knitted his eyebrows in confusion. "He told me, he told me why you wouldn't tell me that you loved me" His jaw dropped. This was going to complicate things even more.

"You've known all this time?" He remembered the panic he'd felt while she had been taken. The pure agony not knowing her fate brought to him.

"Yeah, I'm going to check on my uncle that's all" She pleaded with him; he'd have to try harder.

"And what if you don't come back?" He shrugged.

"Come with me" She asked. He would but that would defeat the object of this fight.

"I can't I-" He knew that would be the final straw, she'd never forgive him for that. That's exactly what he wanted.

"Got to find John right?... fine. Sam can I have my bag please?" She gestured to the trunk of the Impala.

"Kat" Dean watched as Sam handed her, her duffle bag. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed Sam's cheek.

"Look after him" She smiled, teary eyed.

"Kat I'll come, I'll help you" Sam grabbed her arm. Dean shuck his head behind her.

"No he needs you more than I do" Tears jerked from her eyes, Sam handed her a tissue from his pocket.

"I don't want you to go Kat, I-" A tear slide down his face. Dean stood frozen watching as the love of his life was about to leave and it was because he loved her that he was going to let her go.

"I know, I know I'm gonna miss you too Sammy" She slung her bag on her back and wiped away Sam's tear with her thumb.

"Are you gonna come back?" She didn't know the answer. She wanted to but she wasn't sure she could stand the resentment that would taint her and Dean's relationship.

"... I" She looked over to Dean "I don't think your brother would-"

"I don't care!" He turned to Dean. "You love her, she needs our help its simple!" He pointed at Kat. She stared at Dean; cold, hard.

"Dad needs are help Sammy" Anger filled Kat. Dean knew that would upset her even more.

"Such a daddies boy, you need to grow a back bone and start living your own life Dean" Hate filled her tone, it was more directed towards John than Dean.  
"He's the only family we got left"

"And Danny's the only family I have left" He had Sam.

"Nothing ... just let her go Sam" He turned away from them both.

"Fine" She turned to Sam. "I'll call you ok? Good luck with the case, I hope you find your father" She turned away from them.

"Kat please" Sam begged her.

"See you around Sam" She began to walk in the direction of the motel, she could hear remnants of the Sam shouting at Dean. She wiped the tears from her eyes with the sleeve of her jacket.

She returned to the motel; she began packing. She removed all of the clothes she had borrowed from Dean; his shirts, jackets, anything that he had given her. She laid them on the bed they had shared the previous night. She had been restless, thinking of ways to tell Dean she was leaving. He had chose John over her and that hurt. She packed her remaining belongings into her bag. She placed her hand in her pocket and pulled out the spare key to the Impala. It had a little key ring of a brown teddy with a heart in its hands. He had brought her that from a random gas station he said it was cute and that it reminded him of her. She placed that on top of the clothes she piled on the bed. She opened the door and locked it behind her. She slid the key under the door and made her way to the car park. Her phone began to ring and ring and ring. She ignored it expecting it to be Sam. Finally after ten minutes she took it out of her pocket; unknown number.

"Hello ... yes I'm Katie Elkins ... what?" Her face dropped "... how? ... yes, yes I'll be there as soon as I can ... thank you" That was the reason there had been no answer, no message, he was dead. Her last living relative gone.

Sam threw open the door, half expecting to find her sitting on the bed in full sulk mode. Dean knew better, he knew he'd hurt her. They had taken care of the painting, it was in fact the little girl who had committed the murders and her father had been trying to warn people through the painting.

"She's gone" Sam had been telling him what an idiot he had been for the past four hours. "She's left all your stuff and the spare key" Sam picked up the motel room key off of the floor.

"Ok what do you want me to say? Huh! I know, I should have told her that I love her, I should have dropped everything and went with her but I can't ok! Dad needs us Sam and Kat ... doesn't" He sighed.

"What? Your unbelievable" Sam still wasn't sure he understood Dean's motives.  
"If she stays with us, with me she's ... I, I don't want her to end up like Jess ok?" Dean slammed down into the bed amongst all his belongings. "I'm sure you wouldn't either"

"So what, that fight, what you did that on purpose? Just to get her to leave?" Sam sort of understood his logic but he wasn't a hundred percent convinced.  
"Yeah it was ... that may have been the hardest thing I've ever had to do Sammy" He sighed and rubbed his forehead. Sam sat next to him.

"And you think sending her away from us with no protection is better?" Sam questioned.

"I don't know anymore but I believe that she has a better chance with her uncle than she does with us" He rested his head in his hands.

"I ... get it sort of, I still think you're stupid but I get it" Sam knew the pain of losing the woman he loved. "Maybe your right maybe we are dangerous to be around but I think if any woman could have handle it, it would have been Kat"

"... I know ... but it's a chance I'm not willing to take"


	20. Note :D

Hey guys _Scarlett_ here : D Thanks to everyone who has already reviewed it is greatly appreciated : D but guys if you're enjoying my story can you please let me know? Review and inbox me, whatever I just want to be sure that I'm not wasting my time. The next chapter is going to be a very long one :D Nearly finished the last part. I may tease you guys a little and upload a piece every night until it's done :P Hope your enjoying reading it as much as I enjoy writing it :D 3 _Scarlett_


	21. Chapter 20 part 1

Sam and Dean sat in a diner, in silence. It'd had been just over a week since Kat had left; they hadn't had much to say to one another since. Dean was staring into space, it was strange waking up and not seeing her face. Sam frowned, he wanted to talk to him but he didn't know what to say. He slid the paper over to him.

"See if you can find anything" He continued to brows the news articles on his laptop. After twenty minutes Dean finally spoke.

"All right, dude. Not a decent lead in all of Nebraska. What do you got?" He sighed.

"Well, I've been scanning Wyoming, Colorado, South Dakota. Here, a woman in Iowa fell ten thousand feet from an airplane and survived" He smiled.

"That sounds more like "That's incredible" than, uh, "Twilight Zone"" His tone lacked his usual cheekiness.

"Yeah" Sam checked his phone, still no reply from Kat. He continued his search.

"Oh no" Sam's jaw dropped, panic flooded through him.

"What is it" Dean stood up and joined him on his side of the table.

"Uh, Manning, Colorado—a local man by the name of Daniel Elkins was found mauled in his home"

"Kat's uncle, damn it"" Dean slammed his fist down on the table.

"It sounds like the police don't know what to think. At first, they said it was some sort of bear attack, and now, they found signs of robbery" Sam continued to read the article.

"Has she contacted you?" Dean hadn't heard from her but then again he didn't expect to after what he did.

"No I've been calling her, texting ... nothing" Sam shut the lid of his laptop.

"We gotta get to Colorado now" Dean threw a note on the table and ran to the exit.

Sam and Dean arrived at Danny's house. They had been calling Kat constantly on the journey but still nothing. They entered the house, flashlights in hand, and began to look around.

"Hey, there's salt over here, right inside the door" Sam shouted to Dean who was searching for any indication that Kat had been there.

"You mean, like, protection-against-demons salt, or, uh, "Oops, I spilled the popcorn" salt?" Dean turned to face him.

"It's clearly a ring. You think this Kat's been here?" Sam asked.

"No sign of her" Dean sighed. He picked up Elkins' journal.

"That looks a hell of a lot like Dad's" Sam watched as Dean turned the pages.

"Yeah, except this dates back to the sixties" A small photograph fell from between the pages. Dean picked it up. It was Kat; a younger version with her parents and a young boy who Dean assumed was Jack. Her boyfriend that had perished along with her parents.

"Whatever attacked him, it looks like there was more than one" Sam examined the evidence of the struggle.

"Looks like he put up a hell of a fight, too." Dean smiled "Must run in the family"

"Yeah" Sam smiled too. Dean picked up a small box with a pentacle carved into the top, he opened it, it was empty. He noticed several scratches that had been carved into the wooden floor. He bent down for a closer look.

"You got somethin'?" Sam joined him.

" I don't know, just some scratches in the floor" Dean looked puzzled.

"Death throes, maybe?" Sam suggested.

"Yeah, maybe" He grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil from the nearby desk. He then placed the paper on the floor on top of the scratches he then began to quickly move the pencil back and forth over the paper. "Or maybe a message" He handed the paper to Sam. "Look familiar?"

"Three letters, six digits—the location and combination of a post office box. It's a mail drop. Kat maybe? Or for her?" Dean shrugged at Sam's questions.

"I don't know let's check it out" He placed Danny's journal into his pocket.

Sam and Dean retrieved the envelopes from the post office. The first letter is addressed to "J.W."

"J.W.—you think? John Winchester?" Sam examined the envelope. The second was addressed to "K.E"

"That ones for Kat" Dean handed him the other one.

"Should we open it?" Sam questioned. Suddenly, someone knocked on the window. Dean jumped and turned to see John standing outside. "Dad?" He exchanged a confused look with Sam. John got in the backseat of the car.

"Dad, what are you doing here? Are you all right?" Dean began.

"Yeah. I'm okay. Look, I read the news about Daniel. I got here as fast as I could. I saw you two up at his place"

"Why didn't you come in, Dad?" Sam wasn't as happy about the reunion as Dean was.

"You know why—because I had to make sure you weren't followed, by anyone, or anything" Dean nodded gratefully. "Nice job of covering your tracks, by the way"

"Yeah, well, we learn from the best" Dean smiled.

"So I take it Kat's busy arranging the funeral" John assumed.

"Well err we don't know ... she's gone" Sam wasn't sure if Dean would want John to know what happened.

"She's gone Dad" Dean clenched the steering wheel.

"Wait, so, you came all the way out here for this Elkins guy?" Sam attempted to change the subject.

"Yeah. He was … he was a good man. He taught me a hell of a lot about hunting" John said sadly.

"You never mentioned him to us" Dean looked confused.

" We had, uh….we had kind of a falling out. I hadn't seen him in years, probably why Kat can't stand me. I should look at that" He pointed to the letter. Dean handed it to him, he opened it. ""If you're reading this, I'm already dead." That son of a bitch" He sighed.

"What is it?" Dean wondered if it had anything to do with Kat.

"He had it the whole time" John shook his head.

"Dad, what?" Sam demanded.

"When you searched the place, did you see a gun? An antique—a Colt revolver, did you see it?"

"Uh, there was an old case, but it was empty" Dean told him.

"They have it" John frowned.

"You mean, whatever killed Elkins? ... Maybe or Kat could have it" Sam suggested.

"We've got to pick up the trail" He got out of the car.

"Wait" Sam wound down his window. John leaned through the open car window. "You want us to come with you?" He sounded shocked.

"If Elkins was tellin' the truth, we've got to find this gun, for all our sakes I hope Kat has it"

"The gun? Why?" Dean knitted his brow.

"Because it's important, that's why and if she does have it she could be in serious danger"

"Dad, we don't even know what these things _are_ yet" Sam stated.

"They were what Daniel and Kat Elkins killed best; vampires ... I thought they were extinct. I thought Elkins and others had wiped 'em out... I was wrong"

"Kat told me about vampires, she said that most vampire lore is bull. A cross won't repel them, sunlight won't kill them, and neither will a stake to the heart. But the bloodlust that part's true. They need fresh human blood to survive and since they were human once, you won't know it's a vampire until it's too late" Dean remembered that conversation well. He was amazed that something as beautiful as Kat could be so deadly.


	22. Chapter 20 part 2

The Winchesters had made their way to a motel. Sam and Dean lay asleep whilst John listened to a walkie-talkie.

"Sam, Dean, let's go" Johns shouts woke them up. "Picked up a police call"

"What happened?" Sam asked groggily.

"A couple called 911. They found a body in the street. Cops got there, everyone was missing. It's the vampires" John nodded his head, he was sure it had to be them.

"How do you know?" Sam questioned. Dean was just willing to take his word as usual.

"Just follow me, okay?" He stood up and turned to the door. "With any luck if it is vampires Kat's already on the case"

John stood talking to the police while Sam and Dean waited by the car.

"I don't see why we couldn't have gone over with him" Sam sulked.

"Oh, don't tell me it's already starting" Dean rolled his eyes.

"What's starting?" John walked back over to them.

"What do you got? Any sign of Kat?" Dean cared more about the latter.

"It was them, all right. Looks like they're headin' west. We're gonna have to double back to get around that detour and ... no, no sign" Dean sighed and placed a hand on his head. "Hey Kat's one of the best she's probably in their nest right now" John smiled.

"Yeah that's what I'm afraid of" Dean turned away from both of them.

"How can you be so sure?" Sam asked. "About the vampires I mean?"

"Sam -" John began.

"I just wanna know we're goin' in the right direction" Sam interrupted him. "We could be wasting time, time we could be using to find Kat"

"We are" John reassured him. "She's a big girl Sam if she left then she obviously doesn't want your help" Sam huffed

"How do you know?" Sam questioned him again. John took something out of his pocket.

"I found this" Dean took it from his hand.

"It's a vampire fang" Dean stated.

"No fangs, teeth. The second set descends when they attack, any more questions?" Sam was silent."All right, let's get out of here, we're losin' daylight. Hey, Dean, why don't you touch up your car before you get rust? I wouldn't have given you the damn thing if I thought you were gonna ruin it" He got in his own truck. Sam laughed, but Dean didn't.

Sam was driving the Impala and Dean was reading from some research on vampires that Kat had given him.

"Vampires nest in groups of eight to ten. Smaller packs are sent out to hunt for food. Victims are taken to the nest, where the pack keeps them alive, bleeding them for days or weeks. I wonder if that's what happened to that 911 couple"

"That's probably what Dad's thinking. Of course, it would be nice if he just told us what he thinks" Sam huffed.

"So, it _is_ starting" Dean scoffed.

"What?" Sam snapped.

"Sam, we've been lookin' for Dad all year. Now we're not with him for more than a couple of hours, and there's static already?" He threw the papers on the dash board.

"No. Look, I'm happy he's okay, all right? And I'm happy that we're all workin' together again ... well not all of us but-"

"Good" Dean nodded.

"It's just the way he treats us like we're children" Sam sighed.

"Oh, God" Dean took a deep breath.

"He barks orders at us, Dean, he expects us to follow him without question. He keeps us on some crap need-to-know deal"

"He does what he does for a reason" Dean's tone was firm.

"What reason?" Sam scoffed.

"Our job! There's no time to argue, there's no margin for error, all right, it's just the way the old man runs-" Sam interrupted him.

"Yeah, well, maybe that worked when we were kids, but not anymore, all right? Not after everything you and I have been through, Dean. I mean, are you tellin' me you're cool with just fallin' into line and lettin' him run the whole show?" Sam shook his head, he knew Dean wasn't no way.

"If that's what it takes" Lie.

"Kat was right about you, you do need to man up" Dean's phone began to ring.

"Yeah, Dad. All right, got it" He hung up. "Pull off at the next exit" He pointed in the direction.

"Why?" Sam slowed down.

"Because Dad thinks we've got the vampires' trail" Dean hoped that meant Kat's trail too.

"How?" Sam questioned.

"I don't know, he didn't say" Sam suddenly stepped on the gas forcefully, and speeded down the road. He cuts in front of John's truck and pulled over. John had no choice but to pull over aswell. All three of them got out of their cars. "Oh, crap. Here we go. Sam!" Dean attempted to calm his brother.

"What the hell was that?" John approached Sam.

"We need to talk"

"About what?" John attempted to dismiss his son's request.

"About everything. Where we goin', Dad? What's the big deal about this gun?"

"Sammy, come on, we can Q and A after we kill all the vampires" Dean pulled on Sam's arm.

"Your brother's right, we don't have time for this. What if Kat-"

"Last time we saw you, you said it was too dangerous to be together. Now, out of the blue, you need our help. Now, obviously, something big is goin' down, and we wanna know what! And you don't care about Kat; your just using her as bait to get Dean to follow your every command" He turned to Dean hoping that he would realise that too.

"Get back in the car" John's words were stern.

"No" Sam refused.

"I said get back in the damn car"

"Yeah. And I said no, Kat never liked you, it took her what like a month to see what your really like; controlling"

"All right, you made your point, tough guy. Look, we're all tired. We can talk about this later. Sammy, I mean it, come on" Dean pushed Sam back towards the car.

"This is why I left in the first place" Sam muttered under his breath.

"What'd you say?" John got up in his face.

"You heard me, you trying to control my every move"

"Yeah. _You_ left. Your brother and me, we needed you. _You _walked away, Sam, _you _walked away!" He grabbed Sam by his shirt.

"Stop it, both of you!" Dean attempted to free Sam from his father's grip.

"You were the one who said "Don't come back", Dad. You're the one who closed that door, not me! You were just pissed off you couldn't control me anymore!" Dean tried to pull the two of them apart again.

"All right, stop it, stop it—stop it, that's enough!" He broke them up and turned to his father. "That means you, too" Sam and John got back in their cars slamming the doors shut. Dean looked around. "Terrific" He joined Sam in the car.


	23. Chapter 20 part 3

The Winchesters were hiding in the woods that surrounded the vampire's Nest. A car pulled up. A man got out.

" I know what time it is" He groaned to the other man standing in front of the nest.

"Get in" The other man, with black hair and a handsome face gestured to the door. The other man went inside. The handsome man looked around for a moment and then followed him.

"Son of a bitch. So, they're really not afraid of the sun?" Dean looked over to John.

"No, direct sunlight hurts like a nasty sunburn. The only way to kill them is by beheading. And, yeah, they sleep during the day. It doesn't mean they won't wake up"

" So I guess walking right in's not our best option" Dean frowned.

"Actually, that's the plan" John smiled.

John and the boys returned to their cars, they open their trunks and began to take out their weapons. Dean took out a large knife and held it out to John.

"Dad, I got an extra machete if you need one" John took out a much newer one.

"Think I'm okay. Thanks" John smirked.

"Wow" Dean turned back to his trunk. John sighed.

"So….you boys really wanna know about this Colt?" This caught the boys off guard; they stopped what they were doing and turned to John.

"Yes, sir"

"It's just a story—a legend, really. Well, I thought it was. Never really believed it until I read Daniel's letter. Back in 1835, when Halley's Comet was overhead, the same night those men died at the Alamo, they say Samuel Colt made a gun—a special gun. He made it for a hunter—a man like us, only on horseback. The story goes he made thirteen bullets. This hunter used the gun a half dozen times before he disappeared, the gun along with him. Somehow, Daniel got his hands on it. They say—they say this gun can kill anything"

"Kill anything, like, supernatural anything?" Dean asked.

"Like the demon?" Sam said in disbelief.

"Yeah, the demon. Ever since I picked up its trail, I've been lookin' for a way to destroy that thing. Find the gun ... we may have it ... but if Kat's got that gun there's a chance she's gonna use that to kill the things that killed her uncle maybe even the whole nest"

"There's only seven bullets left?" Sam asked John.

"Yeah and we need as many as we can get"

"So that's why you've been so concerned about Kat?" Dean felt a little angry at the thought.

"Dean your latest conquest has the thing we need to kill the monster that killed your mother so yeah I am concerned" John spat.

"She's not my latest conquest, if you must know I happen to love her" Dean moved closer to his father. How dare he speak about her like that.

"Well she obviously doesn't love you if she left" John didn't even flinch.

"I drove her away, just like you did to Sam" John pushed Dean away, Sam moved to stand in between the two of them.

"Dean! Kat might need our help ok? Come on we gotta go" Sam pleaded with Dean.

They made their way silently into the vampire's Nest. Sam and Dean snuck in through a window; they then close it behind them. They looked around. Many vampires were sleeping in hammocks that were tied to the various pillars around the room. Dean tried to duck under a hammock but he accidentally kicked a glass bottle and hit the hammock instead. The vampire did not wake up.

John was in another area of the nest, he found the handsome vampire from earlier and a female asleep in bed. In leather case next to the bed was the Colt revolver. He cautiously made his way down the steps leading into the bedroom. The vampires rolled over but did not wake up.

Sam and Dean found a woman tied up, but fast asleep. Sam began untying her ropes. Suddenly, they heard a noise.

"There's more" Dean walked over to a cage-like door. Through the bars, he could see several more men and women tied up, asleep. The door was padlocked.

"Any sign of Kat?" Sam whispered.

"Can't see her" He grabbed a crowbar and brook the lock. He waited to see if the sound woke the vampires, it didn't.

John finally reached the gun.

Sam continued to untie the woman's ropes. She began to wake up.

"Hey, hey, shh, I'm here to help you" He whispered. She let out t a ghastly scream. Sam jumped and backs away from her. The vampires woke up.

The handsome vampire shot up and threw John into the wall. John picked up an empty liquor bottle and hurled it at the bedroom window. The couple turned to see it smash into pieces.

"Boys, run!" The brothers ran out of the nest, closely followed by the vampires. They ran into the woods, but the vampires did not follow them.

"Dad? ... Dad!" John appeared, running to meet them.

"They won't follow. They'll wait 'til tonight. Once a vampire gets your scent, it's for life"

"What the hell do we do now?" Dean threw his arms in the air.

"You got to find the nearest funeral home, that's what" Sam and Dean exchanged a confused look.

Back in the motel room. John sat at the table, researching. Sam was pacing.

"It shouldn't be taking this long. I should go help"

"Dean's got it" Sam didn't say anything. "Sammy…." He stopped pacing.

"Yeah?" His tone was flat.

"I don't think I ever told you this, but….the day you were born, you know what I did?"

"No" He replied confused.

"I put a hundred bucks into a savings account for you. I did the same thing for your brother. It was a college fund. And every month, I'd put in another hundred dollars, until … Anyway, my point is, Sam, that….this is never the life that I wanted for you"

"Then why'd you get so mad when I left?" He asked.

"You got to understand something. After your mother passed, all I saw was evil, everywhere. And all I cared about was keeping you boys alive. I wanted you prepared—ready. So, somewhere along the line, I, uh….I stopped being your father. And I—I became your drill sergeant" Sam came and sat down across from him. "So, when you said that you wanted to go away to school, all I could think about—my only thought was that you were gonna be alone….vulnerable. Sammy, it just—it never occurred to me what you wanted. I just couldn't accept the fact that you and me….we're just different" Sam had tears in his eyes, he laughed. "What?"

"We're not different. Not anymore. With what happened to Mom and Jess….we probably have a lot more in common than just about anyone"

"I guess you're right, son" Sam smiled half-heartedly.

"And you were wrong about Kat, she loves Dean but he, he drove her away ... he didn't want her to end up like mom and Jess" Sam looked at his father.

" ... Well I guess I owe Dean an apology" He thought that Kat had left of her own accord.

"And Kat, if we ever find her" Sam sighed.

"When we were at the scene of the kidnap ... I err found something" John reached into his pocket.

"That's Kat's" John held in his hand her pentacle. The black string had snapped and the pentacle itself was damaged.

"I figured, I didn't want to show Dean because I didn't want to worry him" His father sighed.

"Yeah she'll be fine" He took it from John and put it in his jacket pocket. He was attempting to convince himself rather than John. "Hey, Dad? Whatever happened to that college fund?"

"I spent it on ammo" They both began to laugh. Dean entered.

"Whew! Man, there's some heavy security to protect a bunch of dead guys"

"Did you get it?" Dean pulled a paper bag out of his pocket. He opened the bag and took out a jar of blood, he handed it to a smiling John. "You know what to do"


	24. Chapter 20 part 4

Dean stood in the middle of the woods; night had not long set in. He opened the hood of his car and began to look inside.

"Car trouble? Let me give you a lift. I'll take you back to my place" Dean turned, it was the woman that had been in bed with the handsome vampire the previous day in the nest.

"Nah, I'll pass. I usually draw the line at necrophilia" He smirked.

"Ooh" She punched him, causing him to fall to the ground. A male vampire behind her smiled. She grabbed Dean by the cheeks and lifted him up.

"Well, I don't normally get this friendly 'til the second date, but…"

"You know, we could have some fun. I always like to make new friends" She lowered him down.

"Sorry. There's only one chick for me" Suddenly both vampires were shot through the chest with arrows. She let go of Dean.

"Damn it" The female shouted. John and Sam came out from behind the trees, holding their weapons. "Barely even stings" She smirked.

"Give it time, sweetheart. That arrow's soaked in dead man's blood. It's like poison to you, isn't it?" Her smile faded as her eyes glaze over, she fell backwards into Dean's arms. "Load her up. I'll take care of this one" Dean carried the woman to John's truck, followed by Sam. John walked over to the male who had sunk to his knees. John raised his knife and beheaded him, blood splattering everywhere.

The three Winchesters stood in the woods near John's truck. John handed Dean something.

"Toss this on the fire" They walked into a clearing, where the fire was burning. The woman vampire was tied to a nearby tree. "Saffron, skunks, cabbage, and trillium—it'll block our scent and hers until we're ready"

"Stuff stinks" Dean threw it on the fire.

"Well, that's the idea. Dust your clothes with the ashes, and you'll stand a chance of not being detected"

"You sure they'll come after her?" Sam questioned from the other side of the fire.

"Yeah. Vampires mate for life. She means more to the leader than the gun. But the blood sickness is gonna wear off soon. So you don't have a lot of time"

"Half-hour ought to do it" Sam concluded.

"And then I want you out of the area as fast as you can" John told them both.

"But -" Sam started.

"Dad, you can't take care of them all yourself" Dean began to protest.

"I'll have her and the Colt"

"But after—we're gonna meet up, right? Use the gun _together_, right?" John remained silent. "You're leaving again, aren't you? You still want to go after the demon alone? You know, I don't get you. You can't treat us like this" Sam knew the touching moment they had shared earlier was too good to be true.

"Like what?" John raided his eyebrow.

"Like children" Sam shouted.

"You _are_ my children. I'm trying to keep you safe"

"Dad, all due respect, but that's a bunch of crap" Sam and John's faces expressed their shock.

"Excuse me?" John was clearly not impressed by his son's tone.

"You know what Sammy and I have been huntin'. Hell, you sent us on a few huntin' trips yourself. You can't be that worried about keeping us safe"

"It's not the same thing, Dean"

"Then what is it? Why do you want us out of the big fight?"

"This demon? It's a bad son of a bitch. I can't make the same moves if I'm worried about keeping you alive"

"You mean you can't be as reckless"

"Look….I don't expect to make it out of this fight in one piece. Your mother's death—it almost killed me. I can't watch my children die, too. I won't"

"What happens if you die? Dad, what happens if you die and we could have done somethin' about it? You know, I've been thinkin'—I think maybe Sammy's right about this one. I think we should do this together" Sam nodded."We're stronger as a family, Dad. We just are. You know it"

"We're running out of time. You do your job, and you get out of the area. That's an order" He walked away. Sam turned to Dean.

"We'd be even stronger if Kat was around" His tone still held a hint of anger.  
"Save it Sam!"

The female vampire sat in the passenger seat of John's truck, she began to wake up, John looked in his rear view mirror and saw that two cars were following him.

Dean returned to the vampire nest; he aimed to free the other men and women whilst his father distracted most of the pack. When he ventured further in he found the remaining vampires lying on the ground surrounded by pools of blood. The cage like door had been opened and the room was empty.

John continued down the highway. He glanced in his rear view mirror; the cars were gone. He continued to drive; he turned a bend to be greeted by the handsome vampire and three of his pack. John stopped his truck.

"Get out!" The handsome vampire requested. John complied. "Who are you?"

"The name's Winchester"

"Where are your friends?" He glanced around.

"Cleanin' out your nest" John smirked. Sam and Dean appeared from the woods.

"Actually the job was already done when we got there, someone redecorated your walls with brains" Dean announced.

"What can I say maybe your friends should have quit while they were ahead ... ha ahead" Kat stood behind the Winchesters, her clothes covered in blood. The Cult in her hand.


	25. Chapter 20 part 5

"Luther! Oh I've been looking for you for a long time" Kat cocked the Cult. He rolled his eyes.

"That's impossible, there are two Cults?" John turned to face Kat. Relief washed through Dean, she was back and this time he wasn't letting her go. Sam smiled brightly at her.

"You really think my uncle would leave the Cult in a pretty box on display?" She raised her eye brow at him. "I know you only came here for this" She gestured to the Cult with her free hand. "So don't you dare pretend that you give a damn about my uncle!" A tear slid down her cheek. Dean opened his mouth to speak but John interrupted him.

"Kat I-" She raised her hand for him to stop. She sighed.

"Sorry John but it was me he left it too and I'm not done yet not by a long shot" She continued to point the gun at Luther, her arm was steady her eyes focused. Dean and Sam exchanged worried looks. They needed that gun.

"Where's Kate?" He aimed his question at John, ignoring Kat. She scoffed.

"Kate, is that your mate?" John pulled on the rope he had in his hands and dragged Kate out of his truck. Her hands were bound and she was barely conscious. Kat took a step forward, she took the knife out of Dean's hand and cut Kate's head clean off. Dean attempted to make eye contact with her as she approached but she ignored him, looking away as her eyes meet his. She threw the knife on the ground.

"Bitch!" Luther lunged forward to grabbed Kate's decapitated body. She moved back to her original position. The Winchesters took a few steps back.

"You don't know who I am do you!" She was shocked and angry. How could he not?

"No I'm afraid I don't" He bared his teeth at her. Dean attempted to move but John grabbed his arm.

"Well I'll give you a hint shall I; I'm the teenage girl whose family you brutally murdered ... you then waited for me to come home before attempting to attack me. Is this ringing a bell?" Her tone got angrier as her sentence went on.

"Katherine!" He smiled devilishly. "Well better late than never I suppose" The vampires behind him exchanged whispers. Shock plastered on their faces. He walked forward stopping a few steps from her. Dean and Sam exchanged confused glances. "I also had a munch on your little boyfriend too didn't I" He smirked. "And I'm afraid my pack is responsible for the death of your uncle as well" He shrugged. Her face twisted into hurt and anger.

"You were waiting for me that day; why? How did you know who I am?" She prodded his chest with the barrel. John never removed his eyes away from the Cult.

"Well I was waiting for you ... but I'm afraid I gave up my search for you long ago ... after your father was murdered there was no point, I wasn't being paid anymore" He scoffed. His pack burst into a fit of laughter.

"My father is dead – you killed him!" Kat didn't understand. She pressed the gun against his chest. Anger clouded her mind.

"No sugarplum your real father ..." He smirked. "Let's just say your mommy liked variety" She smacked him around the face with the Cult. His lip split; he seductively licked the blood that had dripped down his chin. He winked at Kat. "Hum your feisty ... I like that" She hit him again. Dean's hands curled into fists.

"Shut up!" Luther was shocked; she didn't know how could she not? How had she gone all this time without knowing the truth?

"Oh ... so mommy never told you ... huh that's interesting, so you, you don't know? What you are, who you are?" He turned and exchanged amused glances with the rest of the pack. He began laughing, crewel and spiteful.  
"All I know is that you killed my family and I'm going to kill you" Her grip tightened around the Cult. He leaned in closer to her beautiful face.

"If you kill me how will you discover the truth?" He teased her.

"What truth?" She spat.

"That you my dear are a vampire" His smirk grew ten miles wider.


	26. Chapter 20 part 6

The words cut Kat like a knife. Dean's jaw dropped; she was what he hunted. The woman he loved was something he hated.

"You're lying!" Kat and Dean spoke in unison. She ignored his input.

"Well yeah kind-of" He smiled "... your half vampire" He laughed. "You shocked us, especially your father, I mean we had no idea that could even happen!; human-vampire hybrid ... well I'm afraid your just a ... weirdo sweetheart" He sounded giddy.

"I don't believe you" She shook her head. She couldn't be ... could she? No.

"Well its true baby-doll; I was sent by your father, Leon Redfern to retrieve you so that you could take your rightful place in our society, I tell ya babe if you weren't so ... spirited" He emphasised the word, looking her up and down as he spoke. "You could have been ..." He pondered his choice of words for a moment. "I suppose what you humans would call a princess" He bowed, mocking her.

"A vampire princess? Sounds like a bad teen novel" Sam laughed at her comment. Sam didn't care, whatever Kat was she was still his best friend.

"Fine don't believe me ... just answer me this have you ever done something that made you think 'how the hell did I do that?'" He attempted to impersonate her English accent.

"I- ..." She had many times. Not to mention she could see Reapers.

"And you got the bad ass vamp look going baby; pale skin, red lips, glossy hair" He bit his lip. Dean's eyes narrowed.

" But ..." Kat was confused, confused and scared.

"Let's ask your little friends shall we?" He turned to the Winchesters.

"... Kat you are fast, I mean that time you out ran the Hook man, you have hearing like a bat - sorry" Sam realised the unintentional pun in his sentence.

"You know things babe, things you'd have no way of knowing" Dean had witnessed her intuition on many occasions; Kat had always claimed it to be down to experience. He hated to admit it but it sounded plausible that she was something supernatural.

"Missouri told me that she couldn't read you, she said she felt a barrier of some sort" John's face was hard; he obviously didn't like what they had just found out. The thought of his son in bed with a monster.

"Well there you have it" Luther winked at her.

"No, no – I, I wear glasses, I faint around blood, I'm anemic for god sake!" She began to lose it, it couldn't be, no not her. Her thoughts were messy, she couldn't think straight.

"You wear glasses because your eyes are sensitive to light, us vamps don't fair to well in sunlight light" He took a few steps away from her.  
"I'm not like you!" She directed that more to herself than Luther.

"Oh yeah you are; you faint around blood because your vampiric side is awakened abruptly and your human side can't handle it" He counted them off on his fingers. "By the way that should get easier to handle now you know the truth"

"But-" She had no idea what to say, she couldn't defend herself.

"And you were diagnosed as anemic because vampire blood is unable to self replicate like human blood, we can't carry hemoglobin in our red cells like they do. No hemoglobin, no iron atoms, no iron … to the average human doctor – anemia" It all made sense, her wounds healed quickly, she had great hearing, she was fast, strong. Deep down somewhere she'd always known she was different.

"But how has she survived all this time without blood?" Sam didn't care; she was Kat, his Kat the girl who had made his brother the happiest he'd been in a long time, who'd helped him when Dean couldn't and besides who was he to judge he's had strange visions and premonitions that no normal human would.

"Her human blood sustains her… just about" He turned to Sam ignoring Kat. Big mistake. "The medication she takes for her 'anemia' replenishes her blood but then the sexy little vamp in her uses it all up – vicious circle. Tell me my sweet are you tired all the time?" He didn't turn to face her; he kept his eyes on Dean.

"Yes" Her words were flat.

"Well a bit of human blood would fix that right up" He moved quickly, faster than Kat had ever moved. He appeared behind Dean. "I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say this one's your mate?" He smirked. Kat laughed.

"No he's not" Her words held conviction. Dean wondered if that was just to fool Luther or if their fight was responsible. "And I've got the Cult in my hand you move I'll put a bullet through your skull"

"Chill baby I'm not gonna to kill him" He used his thumb nail to make a small slice in Dean's throat. "You are … ya see a little blood won't overwhelm your human side" He smirked. Kat's vision got blurry, her heart began to pump faster and faster; the sound filled her ears. John pointed his cross bow at Kat.  
"Don't you dare" Sam attempted to take it from his father. Kat breathed in the scent; it was amazing – sweet, dark, rich. Her eyes held a glint of red. She fought with herself – she wanted to regain control. She was the hunter, he was the prey, she needed control.

"Come on babe show us your fangs" Luther spurred her on. Just the mention of them was enough. She felt her canines extending, pushing down until she felt the razor sharp points resting on her lips. "Now do you believe me?" He pushed Dean forward, he fell to his knees. Kat lowered her head, hair covering her face. Then she lunged.


	27. Chapter 20 part 7

She landed in front of Luther, she pulled the trigger. The bullet hit him between the eyes; a trickle of blood ran from his nose. He sank to his knees; he was then engulfed in a flash of light. He was dead; she'd done it. Finally. She exhaled. She turned to the Winchesters. Sam ran towards her.

"Kat?" She moved out of his grasp.

"Sam don't" A tear slid down her cheek "I'm – I" She began to sob.

"Kat please" Sam held out his hand to her. She took a few more steps away.

"Can you - stop Dean bleeding, I think I'm going to throw up" He smiled at her. She was still his Kat.

"Of course I can" He walked over to Dean.

"There's a medical kit in my truck Sam" John told him before moving closer to Kat. He handed her a tissue from his pocket. Dean reluctantly went with his brother.

"I swear if you shoot me with that- " She gestured to his crossbow.

"I'm not gonna shot ya, if it were anyone else you'd be dead already" He lowered his weapon. Her fangs retracted as she took the tissue from his hand. She wiped her tears from her face, she took a deep breath.

Sam escorted Dean to the truck and began to tend to his cut.  
"So?" Sam attempted to gage Dean's thoughts on what had just occurred.

"She's a ... a vampire" Dean wasn't sure how he felt. He loved her but ...  
"Half" Sam corrected him swiftly.

"Do you think she's dangerous?" Dean looked up at Sam from his seat in the truck.

"No if she was she'd have ripped your throat out" She never turned on him when he had his visions and she had been a vampire since they had known her. She was no different.

"Yeah you're right" He flinched as Sam cleansed his wound.

"If you're doing this to get the Cult it's not going to work" She was sure that's what he wanted.

"No, I'm not going to lie to you, I do want the Cult but ... I owe your uncle big time ... and he left me a letter" He took it out of his pocket and shook it. "And despite what you think I loved him, he taught me a great deal about hunting, he helped me after Marry died ... I can't deny him his last request"

"Think about it Dean she's still the same woman you fell in love with she's just a little more ..." He wasn't sure how to end his sentence.

"Your right she is ... but vampire or not is she any match for a demon?" Dean frowned. Sam was right she was the woman he fell for.

"This again? Dean she's an ally, the best one we have, we need her, you need her" He roughly placed the bandage on Dean's neck.

"Ow" Dean scowled at his brother "... I don't want her to go Sammy but-" He sighed.

"Remember when we fought Meg, whatever she did to us it had no effect on Kat did it? So maybe ... maybe vampires are immune to demons?" Sam suggested; he knew it was a weak proposal but it was the best one he had.

"And what does it say? What's his last request?" Kat was still weary of John, she didn't trust him.

"He asked me to take care of you" John sounded oddly ... okay with the situation.

"Really? Huh ... John did he know?" John looked confused at her question.

"About you? What you are?" John wasn't sure, he never mentioned anything. "I don't think so but Kat it wouldn't have made a difference he'd still love you all the same" John smiled weakly at her.

"So ... what now?" She shrugged, her eyes glancing at the loaded crossbow in his hand.

"Maybe Sammy, I don't know" Dean stood up.

"Well I think a maybe is good enough for me" He smiled brightly. "She needs us now Dean, her worlds just been turned upside down" He pleaded.

"I guess you're right, ... I've missed her, it was harder than I thought" Way hared, he missed everything about her, her smile, her laugh, cuddling at night, waking up to her in the morning.

"I don't think you can go cold turkey on a woman like her" Sam smirked.

"No you can't Sammy; I guess I owe her an apology" Dean took a deep breath.

"Yeah a big one" Sam nodded his head.

"Now you join me and my boys" John's words shocked Kat to her core.

"What? No get away from my son you evil creature? No shooting me with dead man's blood and prizing the Cult from my hands?" Sam and Dean joined them. They were stood Wild West style, feet apart, hands twitching over their weapons, eyes narrowed.

"No" Was John's simple reply.

"Ok well I'll make this easier for you John. Sam" She gestured for him to come to her. She placed the Cult in his hands. "This is for you, for Jess and Marry" She smiled.

"... Thank you, but why? It's yours" He couldn't believe it; the answer to all his problems was in his hands.

"I did what I set out to do ... granted I got a little more than I bargained for but ..." They exchanged a giggle.

"How are you feeling about that" He meant being a vampire.

"Still processing that" She sighed. The words were still strange to hear.

"Yeah I bet" He nodded.

"But you know ... the funniest thing ... I don't really feel that different, is that wrong?" She looked up at him, he knew she was expecting an answer but he didn't know what to say.

"If I had to take a stab ... I'd say that it was because you've always been this way ... and your still the amazing, beautiful woman that me and Sam know and love" Dean smiled at her, she didn't want to but she couldn't help but smile back. John nodded at her, a smile on his face.

"Is that an apology I hear?" Sam smirked.

"I think it was Sammy" Kat giggled.

"Yeah it is, so what'd ya say? Get the old three musketeers back in business? " Dean smirked.

"I- ... I'm not sure if that's such a-" She began but John interrupted.

"I think that's the best idea you've ever had" He smiled. "Welcome to the family Kat and thank you, you don't know how much it means to me" He smiled brightly at her; that was the first time she had believed his smile to be genuine.

"It means revenge" She smiled half heartedly; he wanted it for the same reason she did. She understood now, they weren't so different after all.


	28. Chapter 20 part 8

Kat took her rightful place in the front seat of the Impala next to Dean.  
"Oh" He placed his hand in his pocket and pulled out the envelope with K.E scribbled on the front. "I think it's for you" He handed it to her. "From Danny" Her eyes dropped to the floor.

"And" Sam picked a small leather journal from the back seat and handed it to her. "This was his" He smiled weakly at her.

"Thanks guys" She examined the envelope. She didn't want to open it not yet. The journal would be more of a keep sake than an aid; he taught her everything he knew. Sam watched eagerly, disappointed when she placed the envelope inside the journal and placed in on the dash board. "I'm starving" her words slightly unnerved the brothers. "For food before you start throwing dead guys blood at me" A fit of laughter exploded in the car; that hadn't happened since she had gone. "I missed you guys" She turned sideways so she could view both of them.  
"We've missed you too Kat, it's been sooo boring without you" Sam emphasised the word. "All he's done is pine and sulk" He gestured to Dean. He smiled at her. She smiled back. She had no idea what to say and he didn't want an audience for what he wanted to say.

"We'll talk later" He told her.

"Ok" She nodded. Silence followed for a while. "You know, I'm sort of -" She wasn't sure how to phrase her sentence. "I guess I've always felt ... different" She waited for the boy's reaction.

"There's nothing wrong with being different" Sam smiled at her. "When I had ... visions you didn't treat me any differently" He placed his hand on her shoulder. She put her hand on top of his.  
"Thanks Sammy, I guess I'm ... a vampire" The words sounded strangely ... good. It explained a lot; especially the Reapers. "You know I'm actually surprised you let me in the Impala, I'm covered in vampire blood"

"Only you Kat" He smiled.

They returned to the motel, Kat went straight into the bathroom; she took a long hot shower. She was a vampire, she laughed - it was ironic really; she was what she killed best. She stepped out of the shower and wiped away the steam from the mirror with her palm. She looked at herself; she opened her mouth attempting to make her fangs appear. Nothing happened. She thought of the smell of Dean's blood; she imagined the sweet, dark liquid. She could almost taste it. They ascended. Pearly white, sharp as a knife. Fangs were not common amongst the newer vampires; they had evolved a new set of teeth. Her father crossed her mind her really father. Leon Redfern, Why did he want her? How did he die? She thought of the letter that sat in the journal. She took a deep breath, her fangs retracted. Maybe all her answers were in that letter ... but did she really want to know? She was too preoccupied with removing her blood soaked clothing that she had forgotten to bring any fresh ones to change into. She pulled the largest towel from the rack and wrapped it around herself. She returned to the mirror, she focused. Her fangs ascended. A few seconds past by and they retraced. She did it again and again and again. She moved over to the bathroom door, leaned back over to the mirror and did it one more time. She laughed to herself smiling triumphantly. She shyly made her way into the main area of the room not wanting to draw attention to the fact that the only thing she was wearing was a towel. Sam and Dean were exchanging strange looks. Dean stared at Sam his eyebrows raised. He shrugged. Dean's eyes widened and he gestured to the front door. The penny dropped.

"Oh ... right err ... I gotta go ... do ... something ... somewhere else" He waved goodbye and walk out the door. Silence followed. Kat held the towel tightly around herself.

"So?" Kat began. She stood leaning against the patrician that separated the living area from the mini kitchen.

"So ... I guess I have some explanin' to do" He sat opposite her on the single bed that Dean hoped they would share for the next few days. He sighed heavily.  
"Yeah it would be nice" She nodded, pushing a strand of her wet chocolate brown hair behind her ear. He noticed that her pentacle was missing from her neck. She never takes that off.

"... That fight that we had, I – I did it on purpose ..." Dean looked down at his feet. He couldn't bear to see the hurt look in her eyes. She nodded. She knew why, she understood.

"... Is this about your mom and Jess?" Kat knew already, the shapeshifter had told her that he expected Kat to meet the same fate if she stayed with him.

"I just ... , we've lost enough people already. I ... I couldn't ... not you too Kat" He smiled weakly.

"Don't you think it's my decision to make?" She joined him on the bed.

"Huh ... you'd make the wrong one babe, you'd stay" He placed his hand on the side of her face. She kissed it gently. He brushed her wet hair behind her ear.

"I would ... because ... I love you Dean Winchester" Finally, the weight of the world had been lifted from her shoulders. Her smile was wide and bright.

"I love you too Kat ... that's why I wanted you to go" He laughed, it sounded silly when he said it out loud. She giggled.

"Do you still ... feel the same way? ... Now that I'm ..." She couldn't finish her sentence. She looked away from him.

"You're still my KitKat" They smiled at one another. "I don't want you to go again Kat, I missed you so much" He tilted her chin to look into her story eyes. He'd missed them too.

"I missed you too, you and Sammy" She smiled.  
"Waking up and seeing your not there, lying in bed at night without you in my arms, your smile, your laugh, just you Kat, I missed everything about you" He kissed her nose gently.  
"Good" She giggled. A few moments of silence passed. "I guess it's going to take some getting used to ... especially the fangs" She ran her fingers across her gums. "You know sometimes when I'd wake up in the mornings I'd have pain in my gums ... do you think they ... come out ... in my sleep?" She raised her eyebrow at him.

"I err don't know" He laughed nervously, the image of her with fangs ... sucking on his blood kinda ... turned him on now that he thought about it.

"Oh yeah cause I've never woke up in the morning with a part of you sticking in my back" She stuck her tongue out at him. He laughed.

"You love it ... Seriously though ... about this ... you being a ... vampire; you know that you can always talk to me right?" He took her hands in his.

"I know" She looked up into his eyes. "You and Sam, your all I got left" She frowned.

"Were not going anywhere I promise" He kissed her forehead. She wrapped her arms around his waist. "Kat" He pulled back so that he could see her face.

"Yes Dean" She smiled, he leaned closer to her face.

"Why are you naked?" She punched him in the chest playfully. He burst out laughing. She was expecting their first kiss. "What? I was just wondering" He shrugged.

"I kinda left all my clothes in a motel room near Danny's place" She sighed. "I'll have to go get them tomorrow" She sighed.

"I got a better idea" He handed Kat his phone. "Text Sam, ask him to go get your stuff"

"No" She shuck her head. He took the phone off of her and began to text. He held it out to her so that she could give him the name and location of her motel. She sighed and reluctantly took the phone from him.

"Yeah, it'll keep him busy for at least another hour" A smirk lit his face as he raised his eyebrow. She smiled. She was beginning to like his idea.

"Tut tut, using your brother like that, that's very naughty Mr. Winchester" Her tone was seductive.

"Well you're gonna need your clothes ... tomorrow"


	29. Chapter 20 part 9

Kat pressed send and threw the phone onto the other bed. She smiled at him, biting her lip. They leaned forward, their lips meeting for the first time. She ran her hands up the sides of his face and into his hair. Pulling gently at the short spikes between her skinny fingers. He wrapped his arm around her waist, placing his hand on her lower back. The other rested on her shoulder; supporting her as he brought his body closer, laying them both down on the bed, him on top of her. She moved her lips from his so that she could remove his shirt. She pulled it over his head, enjoying the view of his chest. She ran a black finger nail down, tracing his muscles. He laughed a little as he threw his shirt on the ground.

"Oh so the mighty Dean Winchester's ticklish huh?" She purred.

"Only a little" He kissed her forehead gently. She loved it when he did that; there was something about it that made her feel safe and loved. He ran his thumb over her lips. She continued to remove his clothing slowly; she wanted to savour the moment. Their lips meet again; Dean tugged at the damp towel that surrounded Kat. He then threw it not caring where it landed. Skin meet skin as they both swallowed each other's breathy moans. Slowly he made his way down her body, kissing every inch of skin he could reach, not stopping until she was trembling with pleasure and need. All of a sudden she froze. Dean looked up to see her hand over her mouth.

"Babe what's wrong?" He sat up. She moved her hand away to reveal her fangs.

"I guess they ... come out when I'm ..." She searched for the right word.

"Horney, turned on?" He smirked, he liked it ... it was sexy. If it were anyone else he would have decapitated her already but on Kat ... they looked ... good. He watched as she attempted to retract them unsuccessfully. She frowned.

"I'm so sorry I can't get them to-" She sighed. He laughed.

"Hey, their ... cute" He smiled.

"Cute?" She didn't believe him. She figured all he would see was a monster.

"Yeah, on you" He clarified. "Only you" He smiled. She laughed.

"I'm a freak" She continued to laugh.

"That's why I love you" He leaned forward and kissed her lips.

"I love you too" She managed to reply between kisses. They continued where they had left off.

"De- Dean" she moaned, she couldn't take any more of his teasing, he smirked and began to make his way back up her body leaving a trail off kisses in his wake. Dean hovered over her, shifting their positions. He leaned in for another kiss. They moved their bodies in unison; the kiss becoming increasingly more passionate until ... her fang broke the skin on his lips. A small droplet of blood fell on her tongue. Dean pulled back. Her eyes held the same tint of red they had just hours before. She took a deep breath. Savouring the flavour.  
"Is it ... disgusting that ... that tasted good?" She was shocked, she actually enjoyed it.

"Err ... well you are a vampire ... so no I think its ok" He laughed. She relaxed at the sound, resting her head back on the pillow. He used his finger to wipe the remaining drops off of his lip. He slowly offered it to her. She was reluctant, she didn't want it or did she? She carefully placed his finger in her mouth and used her tongue to remove the sweet red liquid. She swallowed. Before she knew it her mouth was on his. The kiss was rough filled with passion. They had both been waiting for this for a long time. They continued. Kat moaned, causing Dean to smirk at the sound. Their breathing became laboured as they held onto one another; Kat's nails left tiny white marks down the length of Dean's back. They could both feel it coming, the climax building in their bodies. Their movements becoming erratic and messy. She breathed his name, her mouth opening in a silent scream; her muscle's tensing.  
"God, you're amazing, kitten," Dean groaned, burying his face into her neck; licking, sucking, biting. His hands roamed her body; he felt it start to relax as her climax ended. The satisfied look on her face was enough to drive Dean over the edge, his body collapsing on top of hers.

Kat woke the next morning to find all three of the Winchesters sitting at the small plastic table that sat in the corner of the room; they were drinking and exchanging pleasantries. Kat sat up, wrapping the bed sheet around herself; Dean had given her his shirt from the night before but Kat was still a little conscious.

"Morning babe" Dean smiled.

"Hey Kat, I got your things from your motel" Sam gestured to the bags sitting near the front door.

"Thanks Sammy, I owe you one" She picked up Dean's can of coke and took a swig.

"Kat" John's voice sounded serious.

"Yes John" She didn't feel safe around him not anymore.

"I was thinking about your uncle ... his funeral ... have you given it any thought?" He asked her. Sam and Dean remained silent. She noticed that he had her uncle's journal in his hands. She had left it on the table last night when they arrived.

"A hunter's burial ... that's what he would have wanted" Kat nodded at John.

"Yeah that's what I thought" John smiled at her. "The morgue wont just give us his body so were gonna have to take it" He'd given this much thought last night.

"I know" She answered quickly. "We can go tonight, after sundown" She picked up her bags from the floor and proceeded into the bathroom. She began searching through her clothes; attempting to find something acceptable to wear at her uncle's funeral. She always wore black so that would be no different but she didn't want to wear band logos or funny phrases not tonight. She decided on plain black jeans and a plain black strappy top. It would do for a hunter's burial she supposed. She turned to face door and noticed that the envelope addressed to her had been pushed under into the bathroom. John. She picked it up, put the lid of the toilet down and sat staring at it. She turned it over and slid her black thumb nail under the flap. She unfolded the paper.

_Katherine_

_My darling if you are reading this then I am already dead, I've never really been one for goodbyes you know me a man of few words. I will say this though I love you very much and I can rest easy knowing that you will be in the care of the Winchesters. You've grown into a beautiful woman Katherine and you're a great hunter I know you'll find him and when you do I have just the thing you need. The Cult, I assume you remember the stories I used to tell you when you were a little girl? Well I have it, have for a very long time. It's in the safe behind the picture of you and your parents above the fireplace, that picture was taken on your seventh birthday. The combination therefore is your date of birth. That and the rest of my belongings are now yours; everything I own is yours. I wish to be buried in the traditional hunter way, next to your auntie Poppy. You remember where that Is, I'm sure you will, you always had a good memory, I'm rambling now though aren't I? I also wish to apologise to you for the death of your parents, if I had not been a hunter they would not have died that night. That vampire would never have come looking for you, it is my belief that he wished to use you as leverage over me. You would not have had to lead this life if it wasn't for me and for that I am truly sorry. _

_Danny _

_X X X_

Along with the letter was a credit card attached to a note. _I've been putting some money away for you for quite a while now; I guess I always hoped that one day, maybe after you found Luther you would settle down. This is just encase you ever do. X X X _All the account details were written on the back along with the number of his solicitor. Tears fell from her eyes as she read the note. All these years he had blamed himself for her parents demise when it had been her who was responsible. She stood up and opened the bathroom door. She sobbed, all three of the Winchesters walked silently over to her. It was their first family group hug.

A big thank you to Eminemchick15 (who I think has changed her name to Deans naughty hunter) for assisting me with this chapter :D x x x


	30. Chapter 20 part 10

Silent tears slid down Kat's face as she watched the Winchester's burry her uncle. Dean passed the torch to Sam, John was placing the dirt onto of the grave. Dean joined Kat on the hood of the Impala; he put his arm around her and kissed her temple. She remained silent. She thought about the letter that her uncle had left for her.

"He blames himself" Her words caused the Winchester's to stop.

"What for Kat?" John placed the shovel on the dirt.

"For what happened to my parent's ... he thinks, ... thought that it was his fault ... because of him ... being a hunter" She stared at the make shift headstone.

"It wasn't his fault" John told her; attempting to comfort her.

"No ... it was mine" She wiped her tears away with the sleeve of her black hoodie.

"No I didn't mean -" John watched as she burst into tears. Dean pulled her into his arms.

"Hey, shush babe it's not your fault" Dean whispered in her ear.

"It is" She told him, her tone flat. He could tell that she had already convinced herself.

"Kat" John called her. "Listen to me, your uncle loved you more than anything in the world and he wouldn't want you to do this to yourself" Kat looked over to him.

"... I know he wouldn't" She smiled weakly.

"That's my girl" John smiled. He wiped his hands on his jeans, removing the dirt. "It's done" Sam placed the torch on the back seat.  
"Oh Kat, I've got something of yours" He placed his hand in his pocket. He pulled out her pentacle, what was left of it. She looked at the scratches, rubbing her thumb along the base.

"Thank you Sammy" She spoke half heartedly.

"Where'd you find that?" Sam ignored Dean's question.

"I lost it, I was following the pack in the forest ... the clasp has been broken for a while ..." She never took her eyes from it.

"I found it, I didn't want to worry you" John came from the back of his truck with beers in his hands. He held one out for Kat, she didn't usually drink but she felt like she needed one tonight.

They sat round the fire, uncomfortable silence hung in the air.

"Luther, he was the one who killed Poppy right?" John's words interrupted Kat's train of thought.

"Yes, me and Danny ... we searched for him for years but, ... he's – he was good at hiding" She picked at the label on her beer.

"Well he's gone now" Dean smiled at her.

"Along with every member of my family ... and my humanity" She sighed. She stood up and returned to her Uncles grave. Dean rose from his seat to follow.

"Let her go Dean" John handed him another beer.

Kat sat crossed legged on the ground.

"We had a good run you and me" She smiled. "It was all my fault ... everything, mom, dad, Jack, you ... maybe Poppy. All because I'm ... I'm a ... monster" A tear slid down her face. "And the worse part about it ... I – I kinda ... like the thought of being a vampire. Is that wrong? ...I feel powerful, in control for once ... huh ... thank you for everything you've done for me, everything you taught me, but now that Luther's gone I ... I guess I feel lost, I have no purpose, no goal ... I guess I'll have to start again, again. Twice I've had my world turned upside down, been forced to change who I am" She took the pentacle from her pocket and placed it on the grave; she then cupped a handful of dirt and buried it underneath. "This used to mean so much to me ... but now I – I don't know, I feel like it's ... not mine. Not anymore" She patted the dirt flat and wiped her hands on her jeans. "You can look after it for me ..." She wiped her tears away with the sleeve of her black jacket. She stood up.

"She's been gone too long" Dean stood up, ignoring the pleas to leave her be. "Kat?" She turned her head but remained silent. "Hey ... I don't know what to say to you sweetheart" He took her hand.

"Anything would do" He brushed the remaining dirt from her hand, giving her a quizzical look.

"I buried my pentacle with Danny ... I guess I feel wrong wearing it after ..." She shrugged.

"What? Why?" Dean didn't understand even vampires need protection.

"Jack, he gave me that, told me it would keep me safe. You know I've never took that off ...but now it just feels like it's not mine anymore ... I'm not the person that he gave it too ... does that make any sense?" She couldn't really explain it. "I'm not the same person anymore, I guess I never really was ... I just didn't know it" She sighed.

"Well you're still the same beautiful, intelligent, funny, sweet, caring, crazy woman that I fell for" He ruffled her hair and winked. She smiled; she hadn't smiled all night.

"I love you too" She wrapped her arm around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder. He kissed her forehead. "Come on I could use another drink" She took his hand, they made her way back to John and Sam.

"What are you goin to do with all his belongings?" John questioned.

"I was thinking of putting it all into storage, I can't leave it in the house and I have nowhere else to keep it so" She shrugged, she hadn't given it much thought. She didn't really want to think about it.

"We'll help Kat" Sam smiled. "We can start first thing tomorrow right guys?" He looked from his dad to his brother. They nodded.

"Thanks guys" She smiled.

"Hey your family now" John raised his beer to her. Kat nodded at him; she was getting a second chance a chance to have a family. A chance to be happy. But some small part of her didn't trust John.


	31. Chapter 21

Kat sat on the bed that her and Dean had shared the previous night in their Colorado motel room. The Winchesters were gathered around the desk their father sat at. Maps, newspaper articles, books, photographs covered the walls and various surfaces around the room. Kat twisted the Cult in her hands; her eyes scanning the text on the nearby walls.

"So, this is it. This is everything I know. Look, our whole lives we've been searching for this demon, right? And not a trace, just nothing….until about a year ago. For the first time, I picked up a trail" John gestured to all the papers in front of him.

"That's when you took off" Dean asked, Kat rolled her eyes. Abandoned his children would have been her choice of words.

"Yeah, that's right. The demon must have come out of hiding or hibernation"

"All right, so, what's this trail you found?" Dean's voice held a tone of excitement.

"It starts in Arizona, then New Jersey, California—houses are burning down to the ground. It's going after families….just like it went after us"

"Families with infants?" Sam frowned.

"Yeah—the night of the kid's six-month birthday" John nodded.

"I was six months old that night?"

"Exactly six months" He told his youngest son.

"So, basically, this demon is goin' after these kids for some reason—the same way it came for me? So, Mom's death, Jessica—it's all 'cause of me?" Sam rose from his seat.

"We don't know that, Sammy" Kat told him.

"Oh, really, 'cause I'd say we're pretty damn sure" He huffed. He didn't mean to talk to her like that. She stood up, placing the Cult on the bed and opened her arms to him.

"What happened to them is not your fault ok Sammy" She spoke softly to him. She was having this very internal debate a few weeks ago. Her family, Jack it was her fault. She had come to the conclusion that there was no point crying over spilt milk. She couldn't change the past.

"Yeah, you're right, it's not my fault, but it's my problem" He shrugged at her. "You of all people should understand that" She nodded.

"No, it's not your problem, it's our problem!" Dean told him sternly.

"Okay. That's enough" John stood up. The boys fell silent.

"Why is it doing this John? What does it want?" Kat was not about to start taking orders from him.

"Look, I wish I had more answers. I do. I've always been one step behind it. Look, I've never gotten there in time to save…" He trailed off.

" All right, so, how do we find it before it hits again?" Dean asked.

"There's signs. Look, it took me a while to see the pattern, but in the days before these fires, signs crop up in an area—cattle deaths, temperature fluctuations, electrical storms. And then I went back and checked, and…" He sighed.

"These things happened in Lawrence" John nodded.

"The week before your mother died ... and in Palo Alto….before Jessica. And these signs—they're starting again"

"Where?" Kat was eager for a hunt, take her mind off of things.

"Salvation, Iowa"

Kat jolted forward, her eyes shooting open as the Dean made a sudden stop. They had not long entered salvation, Iowa.

"Dean what's wrong?" She rubbed her eyes.

"Don't know yet" He nodded to John's truck. They got out of the Impala.

"Damn it" John exclaimed.

"What is it?" Kat stretched.

"Son of a bitch!" John ran his hands threw his hair.

"What is it?" Dean demanded.

" I just got a call from Caleb"

" Is he okay?" Kat had worked with him on several occasions.

"He's fine. Jim Murphy is dead" John sighed.

"Pastor Jim?" John nodded at Sam's question.

"How?" Kat asked the question on everybody's lips.

"Throat was slashed—he bled out" The brothers looked horrified, Kat began to feel a strange sensation. She imagined all the blood; the dark, sweet liquid. She felt a slight burning hit the back of her throat. "Caleb said they found traces of sulphur at Jim's place"

"The demon" John nodded slightly at Dean. "_The_demon?"

"I don't know. Could be he just got careless, he slipped up. Maybe the demon knows we're gettin' close"

" What do you want to do?" Dean asked, Kat took a deep breath.

"Now we act like every second counts. There's two hospitals and a health centre in this county. We split up, we cover more ground. I want records. I want a list of every infant that's gonna be six months old in the next week" Kat rubbed her throat, as she nodded at John.

"Dad, that could be dozens of kids. How the hell are we gonna know which one's the right one?" Sam didn't like this plan at all.

"We'll check 'em all, that's how. You got any better ideas?" Kat huffed, she wouldn't let him speak to her like that.

"No, sir" Kat rolled her eyes at Sam's surrender. John turned to face his truck, he began to walk towards it, he stopped.

"Dad?" Dean called, he turned to face them.

"Yeah….it's Jim. You know, I can't… This ends. Now. I'm ending it. I don't care what it takes" He got into his truck.

"Dean, you go with him" Kat gestured for him to join his father. He handed Kat the keys and kissed her forehead softly.

"Be careful"

"Always am" She smiled.

Sam returned to the Impala with his hands full of files. "Next" He told Kat. She started the engine.

"Sam ... you shouldn't blame yourself" She smiled at him weakly.

"Kat please" She interrupted him.

"I know exactly what you're going through and believe me ... and I know it feels like its your fault ... but we didn't chose to be ..." She struggled to find the appropriate word.

"Different" Sam answered for her.

"Exactly ... so we had no control over this, you were a baby ... you couldn't have done anything"

"And what about Jess huh? If I wasn't ..." He closed his eyes.

"Different" She had no answer for this one.

"Then she's still be alive"

"True" That wasn't the answer he was expecting. "But you still couldn't have stopped it, not on your own"  
"If I would have just stayed with Dad and Dean then –" He rested his head in his hands.

"Would have never meet her, you wouldn't have had all that time with her, got an education, you wouldn't be the person you are now" His only response was a sigh. "You can't change the past and you can't spend the present blaming yourself"

" I know your right and I know that Jess and Mom wouldn't want me to but ..."

" I know ... look I'm here if you ever need me" She placed her hand on his shoulder.

"I know you are, thank you Kat. I think I would have gone insane by now if you weren't here"

"Or killed your brother or both" They laughed. Kat pulled up at their next destination. Sam placed his fake ID back onto his jacket and got out of the car. Ten minutes or so went past and Kat watched as Sam exited the hospital. He stopped suddenly, grimaced in pain. Kat got out of the car and ran over to him. He massaged his temples, blinking several times. His breathing was heavy.

"What is it Sammy what do you see?" She rubbed his back.

"Train…." He gasped.

They returned to the Impala and began to check the map. They found a railway line and drove till they found the house from Sam's vision.

"Are you sure that's the one?" Kat questioned.

"Positive" A woman was walking down the street, pushing a baby carriage and holding an umbrella. "And that's the woman I saw" He got out of the Impala. Kat watched as he spoke to her on the other side of the street. She saw him waving goodbye and he returned to the Impala.

"What's going on Sam?" Kat could tell by his face there was something wrong.

"It's Rosie's six month birthday today" Kat sighed slamming her head into the back of her seat. Sam watched as Monica greeted her husband. He clutched his head again.

"Sam! Sam?"

Sam sat at the table in the motel room massaging his temples. Dean and John were watching him from their beds. Kat stood behind. Ready to defend him when John found out the truth.

" A vision?" John sounded unsure.

"Yes. I saw the demon burning a woman on the ceiling" He sighed.

"And you think it's gonna happen to this woman you met because…?" John wasn't convinced. "Because these things happen exactly the way I see them"

" It started out as nightmares, and then he started having them when he was awake" Kat told John.

"Yeah. It's like the closer I get to anything involving the demon, the stronger the visions get"

"All right, when were you gonna tell me about this?" John looked over to Dean.

" We didn't know what it meant" He shrugged.

"All right, something like this starts happening to your brother, you pick up the phone, and you call me" Dean stood from his seat on the bed and walked over to John.

"Call you? Are you kiddin' me? Dad, I called you from Lawrence, all right? Sam called you when I was dying. Gettin' you on the phone—I've got a better chance of winnin' the lottery" Kat smiled, in your face John!.

"You're right. Although I'm not real crazy about this new tone of yours, you're right. I'm sorry"

"Look we can sit here all day and argue but the fact is, we know the demon is coming tonight" Kat's words caused the boys to calm.

"And this family's gonna go through the same hell that we went through" Sam looked from his dad to his brother.

"No, they're not. No one is, ever again" John told them all proudly.

"Right, I'm going to go and get a drink from the machine anyone want one?" Kat walked to the door. Sam's phone began to ring.

"No thanks" John replied, Sam shuck his head as he answered his phone.

"You want me to come with ya?" Dean offered.

"No it's fine" She shut the door behind her. The fresh air would do her good, she was thirsty. Really, really thirsty. She placed her money in the machine and pressed the button. She quickly gulped down the entire bottle. It wasn't enough the pain still remained. She was thirsty for blood. She thought that maybe a normal drink would service but obviously not. She crushed the bottle with ease. She had been experimenting in the past few weeks, trying to find out what she could and couldn't do. She figured that using her new found abilities was what had weakened her, made her thirsty. She slowly made her way back to the motel room. John handed the phone back to Sam. Anger plastered on his face.

"What? What's happened?" She looked over to Dean.

"It's Meg, she err she's the one who killed Jim and Caleb" Kat could feel the rage inside of her building.

"I knew it, I told you when we saw her that there was something wrong with her!" She shouted to Sam.

"She's in Lincoln, she wants the Cult" John told Kat.

"She can't have it" Kat sounded like a spoilt child.

"Kat if we don't she is going to kill anyone who has ever helped us, gave us shelter, anyone we've ever loved. They'll all die unless we give her that gun" Dean's eyes moved to Kat instantly.

"Where is she?" He watched her eyes flashed that familiar red. He frowned.

"A warehouse in Lincoln, on the corner of Wabash and Lake" John slammed down into the chair.

" So, you think Meg is a demon?" Sam directed his question at Kat.

" Either that or she's possessed by one. It doesn't really matter" Kat looked over to John. "What do we do?" This wasn't her fight, it wasn't her decision to make. But the Cult was hers.

"I'm going to Lincoln" He told his boys.

"What?" Dean and Sam exclaimed in unison.

"It doesn't seem like I have a choice. If I don't go, a lot of people die. Our friends die"

"Dad, the demon is coming tonight for Monica and her family. That gun is all we've got. You can't just hand it over" Sam pleaded with his father.

"He didn't say anything about handing it over" Kat smirked. John nodded.

"Look, besides us and a couple vampires, no one's really seen the gun. No one knows what it looks like" John and Kat were on the same page for once.

"So, what, you're just gonna pick up a ringer at a pawn shop?" Dean scoffed.

"Antique store" Kat corrected. "You're gonna hand Meg a fake gun and hope she doesn't notice?" Kat was all for not giving her the gun but a fake ... she wasn't so convinced.

"Look, as long as it's close, she shouldn't be able to tell the difference" He assured her.

"Yeah, but for how long? What happens when she figures it out?" Kat was not about to take his orders.

"I just—I just need to buy a few hours, that's all" John looked over to his sons.

"For them?" John remained silent. "You want them to stay here….and kill this demon by themselves?" Kat raised her eyebrows.

"No, I want to stop losing people we love. I want Sam to go to school. I want Dean to have a home" He turned away as tears filled his eyes. "I want Mary alive" He turned back to face them. "I just….I just want this to be over" The brothers exchange tearful looks.

John and Sam were at the truck, getting their weapons ready. Dean pulled up next to them. He and Kat left the car and approach them.

"Did you get it?" Kat pulled out the fake gun, it was wrapped in paper, she handed it to John.

"You know this is a trap, don't you? That's why Meg wants you to come alone" Kat asked him directly. She wanted to get him alone as to not worry the boys but the opportunity had not arisen.

"I can handle her. I got a whole arsenal loaded—holy water, Mandaic amulets—"

"Dad…" Dean interrupted.

"What?"

"Promise me something" He smiled weakly.

"What's that?"

"This thing goes south, just get the hell out. Don't get yourself killed, all right? You're no good to us dead." John paused briefly.

"Same goes for you. All right, listen to me" He took the real Colt out of his coat pocket. "They made the bullets special for this Colt. There's only four of 'em left. Without 'em, this gun is useless. You make every shot count" He handed it to Kat.

"Let me come with you" The boys were shocked. Kat never gave the impression that she would put herself in danger for John. Hell she never gave the impression that she even liked him.

"I've been waiting a long time for this fight. Now it's here, and I'm not gonna be in it. It's up to you and the boys now. I want you here to look after them for me" He smiled.

"I understand" She nodded. She had made that same promise to Mary. John turned to the boys.

"It's your fight. You finish this. You finish what I started. You understand?" They nodded.

"We'll see you soon, Dad" Sam said with confidence. John nodded and smiled.

"I'll see you later" He got in his truck and drove away.

"Later" Dean muttered to himself.

The gang sat in the Impala; parked across the street from Monica's House.

"Maybe we can tell them there's a gas leak. Might get 'em out of the house for a few hours" Sam suggested.

"Yeah, and how many times has that actually worked for us?" Kat huffed at Dean's tone.

"Could always tell 'em the truth" Sam's tone was serious. Dean and Kat exchanged glances.

"Nah" They announced in unison.

"I know. I know, I know. I just—with what's coming for these people—" Kat rested her chin on his shoulder from her seat in the back. A frown on her face.

"Sam, we've only got one move, and you know it, all right? We've got to wait for that demon to show itself, and then we get it before it gets them" Dean told him. Sam nodded. Kat sighed.

"I wonder how Dad's doing" Sam looked over to Dean.

"I'd feel a lot better if we were there backin' him up" Dean slouched into his seat.

" I'd feel a lot better if he were here backin' _us_ up" Kat smirked. The brothers said nothing and continued to watch the house. After a few minutes of awkward silence.

"This is weird" Sam almost sounded happy.

"What Sammy?" Kat sat nervously picking at the black paint on her nails.

"After all these years, we're finally here. It doesn't seem real" He shrugged.

"We just got to keep our heads and do our job like always" Dean told them both.

"Yeah, but this isn't like always, is this how you felt Kat? When you finally killed Luther?" Sam turned to her.

"Yeah" Was her only response. Killing a pack of vampires was a walk in the park compared to killing a demon. Even with the Cult.

"Guys, uh…." Sam turned so that he could see them both from his seat in the front. "I wanna thank you both" He smiled.

"For what sweetie?" Kat was confused.

"For everything. You've always had my back, you know? Even when I couldn't count on anyone, I could always count on you two. And now….I don't know, I just wanted to let you know—just in case" He lowered his gaze to the floor.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, are you kiddin' me?" Dean shuck his head.

"What?" Sam looked upset that his emotional speech was interrupted and the sentiment not returned.

"Don't say, "Just in case somethin' happens to you", I don't wanna hear that freakin' speech, man. Nobody's dyin' tonight. Not us, not that family, nobody—except that demon. That evil son of a bitch ain't gettin' any older than tonight, you understand me?" Sam nodded.

"Sammy were a family, it's what we do" Kat smiled. They resumed watching the house.

"I'm going to call dad see what's going on" Sam got out of the car and walked to a nearby bench.

"I'm guessing that if I asked you to go back to the motel you'd sat no right?" Dean asked Kat through the rear-view mirror.

"Nope" She smiled.

"Thought so" He smirked. She leaned forward and kissed his lips.

"I love you Dean Winchester" She smiled brightly.

"I love you too Kat Elkins" He kissed her again, passion increasing. Sam returned to the car. Kat sat back in her seat.

"Dad's not answering" He attempted not to draw ant attention to what he had just interrupted.

"Maybe Meg was late. Maybe cell reception's bad" Kat attempted to reassure the boys.

"Yeah, well…." Silence filled the car as the radio turned to static.

"Dean, wait. Listen" Kat leaned over and turned the dial. The reception had completely gone. The leaves outside begin to blow around. The lights in the house began to flicker rapidly. "It's coming" Kat could sense it. They all got out of the car.

Kat picked the lock quickly and they entered the house. Monica's husband entered the room with a baseball bat. He swung at Dean, but Kat pinned him against the wall. She was getting stronger.

"Get out of my house! Get out of my house!" He shouted.

"Mr. Holt, please" Sam pleaded with him.

"Be quiet and listen to me. We're trying to help you, okay?" Kat stared into his eyes. She could feel his resolve begin to sway.

" Charlie, is everything okay down there?" Monica's voice caused him to look away from Kat's eyes.

"Monica, get the baby!" He called back struggling against Kat.

"No, don't go in the nursery!" Sam called to her.

"You stay away from her!" He warned Sam.

"Dean go with Sam, I've got this" She gestured with her head for him to follow Sam up the stairs. She grabbed his jaw and forced him to look into her eyes. She knew vampires could compel people she had seen it a dozen times. She took a deep breath and concentrated. "Were here to help ok?" Her tone was soft and gentle. He nodded slowly.  
"Your here to help"

"Yes we are, now you're going to be a good boy and remain still"

"I'm going to be a good boy and remain still" His voice was flat.

"Now let's go outside"

"Let's go outside" He began to walk to the front door.

The bedroom window exploded, sending glass and debris everywhere Kat ran and tackled Charlie out of the way running faster than she had ever ran before. Glass cut her back. She began to feel weak, the more she used her powers the easier it become to use more. The more she used the weaker she became. She stumbled to the ground, her hold over Charlie breaking.

Sam and Monica came out of the house, followed by Dean, he was carrying Rosie.

"You get away from my family!" He shouted at the brothers.

"Charlie, don't! They saved us" She took Rosie from Dean. "They saved us" Charlie kisses her forehead. "Thank you" Dean ran to Kat.

"Are you alright baby?" He winced at the sight of her back. The blood had began to pour down soaking her black t-shirt. Sam turned and looked up at the bedroom window. His eyes widened. The silhouette of the demon could be seen.

"It's still in there" He began to move back towards the house; Dean reluctantly moved away from Kat and grabbed him.

"Sam, no!" They wrestled with each other for a minute.

"Dean, let me go! It's still in there!" Kat's vision began to blur.

"Burning to the ground—it's suicide!" Dean shouted.

"I don't care!" Was Sam's response.

"We do" Kat's weak words caused them to separate. They looked up at the window to see the demon once more before it disappeared. Kat passed out.

They returned to the motel room. Dean lay Kat down on the bed; face down. He ripped her t-shirt open with ease. He then began to gently remove the pieces of glass. He and Sam watched in awe as the wounds instantly healed. He got a towel from the bathroom and wiped the remaining blood from her pale skin. He gently shook her.

"Kat, Kat baby are you ok?" He brushed her hair from her face.

"Dean ... err ... I think she needs ... blood" Sam sat down on his bed. He shrugged as Dean's face dropped.

"What?" He spoke as if what Sam was suggesting was stupid but in-fact it made perfect sense.

"Dean she lost blood, she healed that's gotta take a lot of energy right?"

"No, no she wouldn't want that" Dean shook his head.

"I think she would Dean; she's a vampire" Sam's spoke in a blatant stating the obvious manor.

"No we'll leave her for the night ... when she wakes up she can take her iron supplements" He nodded trying to convince himself that it would work.

"And what if she doesn't wake up?" Sam frowned.

"Sam she'll be fine alright!" He slammed down on one of the plastic chairs that surrounded the coffee table. He took his phone out of his pocket and rang John's number.

"Come on, Dad. Answer your phone, damn it" He hung up. "Something's wrong" Sam didn't answer. "You hear me? Something's happened"

"If you had just let me go in there, I could have ended all this" Sam clenched his fists.

"Sam, the only thing you would have ended was your life" The worry for his father and now Kat was grating on him, his fuse was getting shorter.

"You don't know that" Sam told him calmly.

"So, what, you're just willing to sacrifice yourself, is that it?" Dean was getting increasingly angry.

"Yeah. Yeah, you're damn right I am" Sam stood up.

"Yeah, well, that's not gonna happen—not as long as I'm around" He pointed to himself.

"What the hell are you talkin' about, Dean? We've been searching for this demon our whole lives. It's the only thing we've ever cared about ... apart from Kat and Jess" He frowned as he glanced over at Kat's still form.

"Sam, I wanna waste it. I do, okay? But it's not worth dyin' over" He sighed.

"What?" Sam would have.

"I mean it. If huntin' this demon means you gettin' yourself killed, then I hope we never find the damn thing"

"That thing killed Jess. That thing killed Mom" The anger in Sam's tone increased as the sentence went on.

"You said yourself once….that no matter what we do, they're gone. And they're never comin' back" Sam grabbed Dean by his shirt and pinned him up against the wall.

"Don't you say that! Don't you—not after all this, don't you say that!"

"Sammy, look….the four of us—that's all we have. And that's all I have. Sometimes I feel like I'm barely holdin' it together, man" He began to get emotional. Sam, with tears in his eyes, let go of Dean. "Without you, Kat and Dad…" Sam turned away.

"Dad…." They both fell silent for a minute. "He should have called by now. Try him again" Dean picked up his cell phone and dialled John's number.

"You boys really screwed up this time" Meg teased, Dean became infuriated.

" Where is he?" He demanded.

"You're never gonna see your father again" She hung up.

" They've got Dad" The brothers exchanged a look of concern and anger. Dean swung his arm across the sideboard; causing the porcelain vase to shatter. A single shard dug into his arm. Kat rose from the bed, eyes deep red, fangs exposed.

To Be Continued


	32. Chapter 22 part 1

"They've got Dad" The brothers exchanged a look of concern and anger. Dean swung his arm across the sideboard; causing the porcelain vase to shatter. A single shard dug into his arm. Kat rose from the bed, eyes deep red, fangs exposed. She could feel the pain in her throat intensifying. She turned her head away sharply. She noticed her pills on the bed side table. She gulped down two hoping for an instant effect. Sam moved closer to her.

"Dean go wash your arm, stop the bleeding" He ordered his brother into the bathroom, he obeyed silently. He sat down next to Kat. She wrapped her arms around her knees, moving as far away from him as she could.

"Sam don't" Tears welled in her eyes. They were slightly dulling now; returning to normal.  
"Kat you're not gonna hurt me" He smiled.

"I – it hurt's" She told him sobbing.

"What does Kat?" His tone was soft and sweet. Like he was talking to a child.

"My throat, it stings constantly. I thought it would go away but-"She sighed, resting her head on her knees.

"You want blood" He told her.

"... I need it" She was ashamed to admit that but she did.

"Have you been taking your supplements?" Sam examined the bottle.

"Yes but – I think, I think that when I use my abilities it, it drains me" She looked up at him, wiping the tears away with her torn t-shirt.

"Your healing?" She nodded.

"And ... I can ... sort of ... compel people" She didn't really want to tell the boys that.

"Compel?" He didn't understand.  
"It hard to do and I can only make people so simple things" She tried to underplay the extent of her power.

"You can control people?" He was shocked.

"I've only used it once, on Charlie tonight. To get him out of the house"

"Right ... look your gonna get worse if you don't feed" He made it sound normal. She didn't like that word 'feed' its connotations worried her. Dean returned from the bathroom, his arm was wrapped in a bandage.

"Kat you ok?" He kept his distance.

"She needs to feed" Sam stood up, staring at his brother in silence. He raised his eyebrow at him. Then it clicked. He wanted Dean to let Kat feed from him.

"No" She told them both, attempting to get up. Sam steadied her.

"They've got dad Kat" Sam announced.

"Meg? What did she say?" She still sounded weak. Dean grabbed the Colt from the end table and put it in his back pocket. Kat grabbed a duffel bag that sat on the opposite bed.

"What are you doing?" Sam looked from Dean to Kat.

"We gotta go" was Deans answer.

"Why?"

"Because the demon knows we're in Salvation, all right? It knows we've got the Colt, it's got Dad, it's probably comin' for us next" He pulled on his coat.

"Good. We've still got three bullets left. Let it come" Sam smiled.

"Listen, tough guy, we're not ready! We don't know how many of them there are out there. We're no good to anybody dead ... deader in my case" She winked at him, he smiled.

"Your right, you are weak and that's why you need to feed" Sam frowned; he had never seen Kat look so fragile.

"We're leaving. Now" Dean walked out of the door. "I think I know someone who can help ... with both problems" Kat and Sam exchanged confused looks.

Dean was speeding down the road. Kat sat in the back, Sam in the passenger seat.

"I'm tellin' you, Dean, we could've taken him" Sam sulked.

"What we need is a plan. They're probably keeping John alive; we've just got to figure out where" Kat gazed out of the window watching the passing scenery. "They'll want a trade, for the gun" Sam shook his head.

"What?" Dean asked.

"If that were true, why didn't Meg mention a trade?" Kat remained silent. "Dad….he might be—"

"Don't!" Dean held up his hand to stop Sam in his tracks.

"Look, I don't want to believe it any more than you. But if he is, all the more reason to kill this damn thing. We still have the Colt. We can still finish the job" Sam pleaded, he turned to Kat for back up. She turned away.

"Screw the job, Sam!" Dean shouted.

"Dean, I'm just tryin' to do what he would want. He would want us to keep going"

"Would you quit talkin' about him like he's dead already? Listen to me! Everything stops until we get him back, you understand me? Everything!" Kat sighed, even she would have to wait.

"So, how do we find him? We can't just go to Lincoln and hope the demons left a trail" Kat huffed.

"You're right. That's why we're going to get help" Dean continued to speed.

The sign 'Singer's Autos' greeted them as they pulled up in front of a rundown, dirty house surrounded by car parts that had been scattered around the yard. On the hood of a nearby blue pickup truck sat a huge dog.

Inside the house, the gang was greeted by Bobby Singer, a long time family friend of the Winchesters. Bobby handed Dean a small bottle.

"Here ya go"

"What is this? Holy water?" He looked over to Kat nervously. Could she drink it if he asked her too?

"That one is" He held up another bottle. "This is whiskey" He took a swig and handed the bottle to Dean. Sam was sitting at the desk, looking through a large book.

"Bobby, thanks. Thanks for everything. To tell you the truth, I wasn't sure if we should come" Dean still hadn't gotten around the other little problem they were having. Kat.

"Nonsense. Your daddy needs help" He shook his head, a gesture to indicate it was not trouble.

"Yeah, but last time we saw you, you did threaten to blast him full of buckshot. You cocked the shotgun and everything" Dean smiled.

"Yeah, well, what can I say?" Bobby shrugged.

"John just has that effect on people" Kat finally spoke; she was standing by the window next to Sam.

"Yeah, I guess he does" Dean agreed.

"None of that matters now. All that matters is that you get him back" Bobby smiled half heartedly.

"Bobby, this book—I've never seen anything like it" Sam handed it to Kat.

"The Key of Solomon, protective circles, hell you get a demon in one, they're trapped, powerless. It's like a satanic roach motel" Kat felt a twinge of excitement, the thrill of the hunt. Sam laughed.

"The man knows his stuff" Kat smiled brightly.

"Thank you miss? ..."

"I'm err Kat, Kat Elkins" She tucked the book under her arm and held out her hand.

"Elkins? Your Danny's girl?" He shook her hand.

"Yeah, you ... knew him?" She had never heard him mention a Bobby Singer before.

"Knew?" Dean and Sam shook their heads, Kat remained silent. "I'm so sorry I had no idea - ... how? When?" As soon as the words left his mouth he regretted asking those questions.

"About three weeks ago, vampires looking for the Cult" She sighed.

"Damn vampires, blood sucking son's of bitches" He began to mutter to himself, the brothers exchanged worried looks, maybe they shouldn't be sharing Kat's secret after all. "I'll tell you somethin' else, too; you're lucky you got this little lady with you boys cause this is some serious crap you've stepped in"

"Yeah? How's that?" Sam stood from his seat at the desk.

"Her uncle was one of the best and I'm pretty sure he taught her everything he knew" He smiled weakly at Kat. She slouched against the nearby wall. "Normal year, I hear, say, three demonic possessions, maybe four, tops" He continued.

"Yeah?" Dean didn't see where he was going with this.

"This year, I've heard of twenty-seven so far. You get what I'm sayin'? More and more demons are walkin' among us—a lot more"

"Do you know why?" Kat questioned.

" No, but I know it's somethin' big. A storm's comin'. And you boys, your daddy and half pint here—you are smack in the middle of it" The three of them exchanged glances. From outside, they could hear a dog barking. "Rumsfeld. What is it?" Bobby moved to the window and saw that dog was no longer sitting on the hood of the pickup truck.

"Something's wrong" Kat announced, she could feel it. Suddenly, Meg kicked down the door of the house and walked in. Dean took out the bottle of holy water from his pocket. Kat disappeared.

"No more crap, okay?" He unscrewed the bottle and began walking towards her. She hit him, sending him flying against the wall. He collapsed to the ground. Sam and Bobby began backing away as she approached them. "I want the Colt, Sam—the real Colt. Right now"

"We don't have it on us. We buried it" He told her.

"Didn't I say, "No more crap"? I swear, after everything I heard about you Winchesters, I've got to tell you, I'm a little underwhelmed. First, Johnny tries to pawn off a fake gun, and then he leaves the real gun with you two chuckleheads, Lackluster, men. I mean, did you really think I wouldn't find you?" Kat appeared behind her.

"Actually bitch, we were counting on it" She slapped her around the face. Meg attempted to lung for her, Kat shook her head playfully and pointed to the ceiling. She was trapped in a protective circle. "Gotcha"


	33. Chapter 22 part 2

They tied Meg to a chair.

"You know, if you wanted to tie me up, all you had to do was ask" Sam and Dean ignored her, Kat scoffed.

"Shut up!" She was beginning to feel on edge, fidgety. She pain had dulled slightly thanks to her iron supplements but she couldn't hold on much longer. Bobby entered the room.

" I salted the doors and windows. If there are any demons out there, they ain't gettin' in" The Winchesters nodded. Dean got up and approached Meg.

"Where's our father, Meg?"

"You didn't ask very nice" She teased.

"Where's their father, bitch?" Kat sat on the sideboard opposite.

"Jeez, you kiss your mother with that mouth? Oh, I forgot. You don't" Kat rose from her seat and leaned in inches away from Meg's face.

"You think this is a game? Where is he? What did you do to him?" She didn't feel anything; her influence was having no effect on Meg.

"He died screaming. I killed him myself" She gave Kat a wicked smile. She backhanded her. "Dean does that's kind of a turn on, your little slut hitting a girl?" Kat hit her again.

"You're no girl" Dean was seething with anger.

"Dean" Kat attempted to pull him away from Meg. She tugged on his arm gently. They joined Sam and Bobby on the other side of the room.

"She's lying, he's not dead" He looked down at her, tears welling in his eyes.

"Dean, you've got to be careful with her. Don't hurt her" Bobby scolded him.

"Why?" His tone was dripping with rage.

"Because she really is a girl, that's why ... or was a girl" Kat sighed.

"What are you talkin' about?" Sam and Dean exchanged confused looks.

"She's possessed. That's a human possessed by a demon, can't you tell?" They turn to look at Meg she was shaking in her chair. Kat nodded at Bobby's question, she wouldn't have hit her but she was so thirsty, so on edge.

"You're tryin' to tell me there's an innocent girl trapped somewhere in there?" Dean kept his gaze on Meg. Bobby and Kat nodded in unison.

"That's actually good news" Dean smiled as he reached into his pocket and removed John's journal.

" Are you gonna read me a story?" She smiled sweetly at Kat.

"Somethin' like that" Kat began to speak Latin.

"An exorcism? Are you serious?" She struggled against her ropes.

" Oh, we're goin' for it, baby—head-spinning, projectile vomiting, the whole nine yards" Dean smirked at her. As Kat continued to read, Meg grimaced and moaned in pain. Kat stopped.

"I'm gonna kill you. I'm gonna rip the bones from your body" She told them all.

"No, you're gonna burn in hell—unless you tell us where our dad is" Meg said nothing.

"Well, at least you'll get a nice tan" Kat continued to read. "Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus , omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, omnis congregatio, et secta diabolica." Meg trembled, screaming in pain.

"He begged for his life with tears in his eyes. He begged to see his sons one last time. That's when I slit his throat" She managed to say through clenched teeth. Kat looked at Dean nervously. He leaned over, very close to Meg.

"For your sake, I hope you're lying. 'Cause if it's true, I swear to God, I will march into hell myself, and I will slaughter each and every one of you evil sons of bitches, so help me God" He backed away.

"Perditionis venenum propinare. Vade, satana, inventor et magister omnis fallaciae, hostis humanae salutis." Suddenly, the pages of a nearby open book began to turn on their own, as if a wind was blowing. Kat continued "Humiliare sub potenti manu dei, contremisce et effuge, invocato a nobis sancto et terribili nomine, quem inferi tremunt." Meg continued to suffer. Screaming again, shaking uncontrollably.

"Where is he?" Dean shouted.

"You just won't take "dead" for an answer, will you?"

"Where is he?" He asked again.

"Dead!"

"No, he's not! He's not dead, he can't be!" Dean was a t breaking point. Kat carried on reading.

"Ab insidiis diaboli, libera nos, domine. Ut ecclesiam tuam secura tibi facias libertate servire, te rogamus, audi nos." Suddenly, Meg screamed loudly. Her chair began moving around the room, the lights flickerd. "Te rogamus audi—" Her chair stopped. Kat paused.

"He will be!" Meg told them.

"Wait! What?" Dean questioned.

"He's not dead. But he will be after what we do to him"

"How do we know you're telling the truth?" Kat's question was aimed more at the boys than Meg.

"You don't"

"Kat" Dean gestured for her to continue.

"A building! Okay? A building in Jefferson City" Meg flinched as Kat raised the book closer to her face. Her vision was getting worse.

"Missouri? Where, where? An address!" Dean demanded angrily.

"I don't know!"

"And the demon, the one we're looking for, where is it?" Sam approached her.

"I don't know, I swear! That's everything. That's all I know" She slouched in her chair, exhausted. Tears streak her face, her breathing was heavy.

"Finish it" Dean told Kat.

"With pleasure" She smirked.

"What? I told you the truth!" Meg looked from Dean to Kat.

"I don't care" Dean smirked.

"You son of a bitch. You promised"

"He lied!" Kat continued, Sam interrupted her.

"Kat We can still use her—find out where the demon is"

"She doesn't know" Dean sighed.

"She lied!" Sam snapped.

"Sammy, there's an innocent girl trapped somewhere in there. We've got to help her" Dean smiled at him reassuringly; she knew that if she appealed to his better nature he would see sense.

"Actually it could kill her" Kat corrected Dean.

"What?"

"She fell from a building, maybe the only thing keeping her alive is the demon?" Kat assumed the boys would have know that or been able to guess by now. Bobby nodded.

"She's right boy's" He told them regretfully.

"Listen to me, all of you, we are not gonna leave her like that" Dean told them sternly.

"She is a human being" Bobby responded.

"And we're gonna put her out of her misery" Kat concluded. Bobby nodded in defeat. Dean turned to Kat.

"Finish it" She looked over at Meg, she was still struggling. "Finish it" He told her softly, she nodded and began to read again.

"Dominicos sanctae ecclesiae. Terogamus audi nos." Ass he continued to read, Meg's body twitched, Her eyes turned coal-black. A moment later, she tilted her head up to the ceiling and let out a long, loud scream. An enormous cloud of black smoke erupted from her mouth. They watched in awe. When the demon had finally left her body her head fell forward. She was motionless, appeared to be dead. A string of blood and saliva dripped from her mouth. Suddenly, she began to lift her head up slowly. Blood was running from her nose and mouth. Kat felt that familiar feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"I'll go outside, call nine one one" She ran out into the fresh air as far away from the smell of blood as she could. She lay on the hood of one of the many cars in the lot. She tried to think about something, anything that was not blood. It was driving her crazy, it was all she could think about. She remembered that night, the night she had a tiny droplet of Dean's blood. She sighed in delight. She heard footsteps.

"Kat, baby where are you?" Dean called to her. She took a deep breath.

"I'm over here!" She shouted, he eventually appeared from behind a pile of junk.

"Are you ok?" He cupped her face in his hands.

"... No" She rested her head on his chest, he kissed the top.

"It's hurting you isn't it?" It killed him to know that she was in pain.

"Yes" She nodded. She wrapped her arms around his waist.  
"Well then there's only one solution" He lifted her chin, instead of the deep, beautiful stormy eyes he was usually meet with he saw that familiar red tint, she looked tired, drained, in agony. He pulled down his collar.

"No" She struggled against him. "Dean please ..." He lightly pushed her head into his neck. She could feel his pulse, smell his blood, her fangs ascended ... but she couldn't do it. "No!" She pushed him away and slid off the bonnet covering her mouth with her hand.

"Kat you're going to keep suffering if you don't do this, I'd rather it be from me than some ..." He closed his eyes, he didn't mean for it to come out like that.

"You think I'd do that?" She interrupted him; you think I'd randomly attack an innocent person for their blood?" He remained silent "You do!" She died inside."You think I'm a monster" Tears flooded from her eyes.

"No I think you're a vampire and I think that you need blood" He told her as calmly as he could. "It's not your fault but who knows you get hungry enough ...?" He trailed off.

"... Your right, I am a monster. I've been trying so hard but ... I ... can't ... I need it ... I don't want it but I need it ... maybe John should have ended me when he had the chance" Dean grabbed her and pulled her into his arms. Her fangs retracted.

"Never say that again do you hear me?" His tone was forceful.

"I don't want to be like this Dean" She sobbed, soaking his shirt.

"We'll get through this ok? Me, you, Sammy and Dad were a family now" She shook her head as she pushed him away again.

"No you, Sam and John are a family ... I'm just ... a ... a thing that eventually your father's going to want gone" She wiped her tears away with her sleeve.

"He won't" He didn't sound too convinced himself.

"When the guilt wears off, he's not going to give a damn about the promise he made to Danny" Maybe it was time to except her fate.

"Don't say that Kat!" He shouted.

"Why because you know it's true?" She sighed.

"Look we've gotta get out of here ok? The cops are gonna be here any second" Dean turned and walked away from her.


	34. Chapter 22 part 3

Kat eventually joined the boys back at the house; they were saying their goodbyes to Bobby. He turned to her.

"I think me and you should have a little chat half pint" Bobby told her. Dean and Sam exchanged nervous glances.

"Why you want to shot me with a cross bow too?" Her tone was dry.

"So you're not human then?" He nodded. "Though so"

"Oh yeah why's that?" She didn't have time for games and frankly she wasn't in the mood for them either.

"They way you moved, when Meg came crashing through the door you disappeared in seconds ... your beautiful, fast an cranky so I'd say you're a vampire" She nodded.

"Half" She corrected him swiftly.

"Half? What? How?" He was fascinated. A half human half vampire hybrid.

"Don't know, no one does ... I guess I'm a fluke" She frowned.

"Does your daddy know about this?" He looked over to Dean.

"Yeah" Bobby looked shocked.

"So I take it that you and her ..." He gestured to Kat with his head.

"Were together if that's what you mean" Dean wasn't sure he liked where this was going.

"Oh that explains it" Bobby nodded.

"Explains what?" Sam questioned.

"Why John hasn't staked me yet" Kat exchanged a glace with Bobby. "That's what you meant right?"

"... well I err" He shrugged. Kat sighed. Even as they spoke she could still faintly smell Meg's blood.

"That's not gonna happen I'm not gonna let it" Dean told Bobby firmly.

"Neither will I" Kat's words held a dark tone, threatening almost. She loved Dean but she was not going to stand there and let John kill take her out.

"What's the situation with your err eating habits?" Bobby wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer.

"I haven't ... eaten yet" She took a deep breath, all this talk of blood.

"How are you still sane!" Booby raised his eyebrows.

"I've only known that I was ... a vampire for three weeks, I take iron supplements and my own blood combined with them usually sustain me ... but I, if I use my abilities it drains me, makes me week and the supplements aren't helping much"

"Right" He disappeared into the kitchen. "I know I have some somewhere ... just in case ... you know in emergencies ..." He rambled to himself, Dean took Kat's hand.  
"Were gonna get through this ... right Sammy"  
"Right" Sam smiled at her.

"I'm a liability ... I'm putting you in danger ... even more danger" She smiled weakly.

"We don't care, your family and family's look after each other" Sam told her proudly. "You've never given up on us Kat, this whole mess has nothing to do with you yet your willing to risk your life to help us" He continued. Tears welled in her eyes. She hugged Sam tightly.

"I love you guys" She smiled brightly; she hadn't smiled like that for weeks.

"We love you too Kat and we don't want you to go" Dean kissed her forehead. Bobby appeared with a bag of blood in his hand; Kat jolted, the dark red liquid looked delicious.

"For emergencies" He handed it to her. "It's O positive ... I don't know if you have a preference or ..." She stared at the bag, she felt her fangs pushing through her gums, she restrained herself.

"Thank you" She really needed this, he may not have known it but Bobby had just done her a huge favour.

"Do you think I could put it in the microwave?" The boys looked at her, confusion and amusement on their faces. "What I don't want it cold" They laughed.

"You better hurry up and beat it before the paramedics get here" He smiled at her. She nodded.

"What are you gonna tell them?" Dean asked.

"You think you guys invented lyin' to the cops? I'll figure somethin' out" He handed Kat the book that she and Sam were examining earlier, "Here. Take this. You might need it"

"Thank you Booby, for this, the blood and you know ... not killing me on sight" She smiled.

"You're welcome half pint" He winked,

"Thanks….for everything. Be careful, all right?" Dean nodded at Bobby as they began to move toward the front door.

"You just go find your dad. And when you do, bring him around, would ya? I won't even try to shoot him this time" They all laughed half-heartedly as they left the house.

Kat entered the kitchen area of their current motel room. She examined the bag.

"Dean! Can you come here for a minute please?" He entered the kitchen, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"What is it sweetheart" He ran a trail of kisses up her neck.

"Can you pour some of ... it into a glass and put it in the microwave for me please?" He nodded. "I'd do it myself but I ... If I open that bag I'll probably just gulp it all down in one and I don't want that" She told him. "If I have too much, I'll get stronger, more powerful and I'll crave more ... I don't want that"

"Of course" She walked into the main room taking a seat on the bed. She heard the bag rip, smelt the blood, her fangs dropped. That was the longest minute of her life. Dean placed the cup of blood on the table in front of her. She stared in awe, she looked up at Dean. Slowly she leaned over and picked up the glass. She placed her lips on the edge ... she sipped. Dean watched as her eyes shot open, she gulped down the whole glass instantly. A drop dripped from the side of her mouth, she licked it seductively. Dean gasped, her eyes darted to him. She smiled fangs on display.

"How do you feel?" He choked on his words, he couldn't take his eyes of her. Her own we're deeper, brighter, her skin smother, her hair glossier, her lips fuller. She was perfect. She moved from the bed pinning him against the wall instantly.

"Horney" She smiled seductively.

"Wha – what?" He couldn't think straight, he wanted her ... but John.

"Blood effects libido ... vampire 101" she ran her hand over his thigh. He sighed in pleasure.

"Kat ... baby" She began to kiss his neck, licking, sucking. He couldn't finish his sentence.

"Yes Dean?" She bit her lip. He couldn't resist. He pushed her back onto the bed, their lips crashed, both fighting for control. She gripped his shoulders firmly and rolled him over, she tore his shirt in two and began undoing her jeans. He sat up grabbing her and pulling her close, he pulled her top over her head and threw it onto the floor. Her bra followed. She tugged at his belt removing his jeans and boxers adding them to the pile. Dean pushed Kat forward, gaining superiority pulling her jeans down her legs. She smirked, her fangs glistened, she moaned his name breathlessly as he sucked on the sweet spot on her neck, biting it gently. He removed her underwear, she dug her nails in his back as that familiar feeling began to build in her core. This was different from the first time they had made love... this was raw, primal. They moved in unison, moans filled the room. Their breath became laboured, their movements messy, muscle's tensing as a wave of pleasure engulfed them.

"That was ... amazing" Dean wrapped his arms around Kat as their bodies relaxed.

"Yeah ... I guess there are some plus's to this vamp thing" She opened her mouth and her teeth retracted.

"Oh yeah" He sighed.

"I feel so good" She nuzzled her head into Dean's chest. She could think straight, no pain, no thirst.

"You're not hurting anymore?" He brushed her hair over her ear and kissed her temple.

"Nope far from it" She sighed happily.

"So ... how was it?" His question confused her; she sat up wrapping the quilt around her bare torso.

"The blood or the ... sex?" She blushed.

"... both?" He smirked.

"The blood, the blood was ... good, I needed it so bad ... and the -, it was ..." She sighed, she was a little embarrassed.

"It was ... awesome ... It felt, I can't really explain ... all my senses were heightened so the pleasure was ... it was good okay?" He smirked, very pleased with himself. He put his arms behind his head and sighed.

"Well what can I say?" He nodded. She shook her head. She stood up.

"Where you goin'?" He asked her. She bent down and picked up her clothes

"I'm going for a shower" She told him.

"What no round two?" He raised his eyebrow.

"Well I was goin to ask you to join me in the shower but ... since your a stud I'll leave you too it" She dropped the quilt and winked. He attempted to get out of bed and join her but she slammed the door before he could reach.

"Your such a tease!" He shouted leaning his head on the frame.

"And you love it!" She shouted back.

"I love you!" He smiled.

Sam entered the room just in time to see Dean zipping his jeans up.

"How's Kat is she feeling better?" He placed a huge blue box on the bed.

"Oh yes Sammy boy much better" Dean smiled.

"Yeah ... Dean ... your fly's open" Sam looked away awkwardly.

"Yeah like I said she's a lot better" Dean smirked. Sam shook his head. "Did you have any problems?" He gestured to the box.

"No walked in, flashed the badge, no questions asked" Sam smiled.

"No questions asked about what?" Kat appeared at the door. She noticed the box.

"This" Sam patted it. "It's a present ... for you"

"It's a cooler box ... it's very ... nice ... Thanks Sammy" She wasn't sure where he was going with this.

"No look" He opened it, inside packed to the brim was blood bags. Her fangs dropped. Dean smirked at the memories of last night. She covered her mouth and turned away. She took a deep breath and they retracted.

"I got all different types cause I wasn't sure what flavour you preferred" He smiled shutting the lid.

"I err ... thanks Sammy" She attempted to smile.

"You don't like it?" He frowned.

"No no it's just ... the way you talk about makes it seem so ... normal, like we're talking about my favourite ice cream flavour" She scoffed.

"Well ... none of us are exactly normal sweetheart" Dean winked at her.

"True" She smiled. "Thank you Sammy" She hugged him tightly.

"Oh I got you this too" He pulled out a flask with smiley faces all over it.

"Right" She took it from him and examined it.

"Yeah cause I thought that you could put your blood in and then put it in the microwave or whatever and then it would keep warm when were on the road" He smiled brightly.

"Thanks" She was a bit over whelmed. "I am so grateful I am but ... I don't know it's still a bit ... strange ..."

"Kat it's what you need and so were gonna make sure you get it" Dean smiled.

"Right I'm gonna go warm up some O and then we can get going" She giggled to herself. "Maybe I could draw tiny fangs on the smiley faces?"


	35. Chapter 22 part 4

Jefferson City, Missouri

They parked the Impala by the river and began discussing the plan. Dean loaded his gun. Kat took her old red lipstick from her pocket.

"You've been quiet" Sam told Dean.

"Just gettin' ready"

"He's gonna be fine, Dean" Kat told him as she copied a diagram from the book Bobby had gave them onto the trunk of the car.

"Babe, what are you drawin' on my car?" He placed his hand on her back.

"It's called a devil's trap. Demons can't get through it or inside it"

"So?" he asked her.

"It basically turns the trunk into a lockbox" She began to draw another on the other side.

"So?" Dean asked again, she sighed..

"So, we have a place to hide the Colt while we go get John"

"What are you talkin' about? We're bringin' the Colt with us" Dean told them both.

"What?" Kat shook her head.

"We can't, Dean. We've only got three bullets left. We can't just use 'em on any demon. We've got to use 'em on _the_ demon" Sam told him.

"No, we have to save Dad, Sam, okay? We're gonna need all the help we can get" He looked over at Kat for back up but she turned away and placed her flask in the compartment of the backseat door.

"Dean, you know how pissed Dad would be if we used all the bullets? Dean, he wouldn't want us to bring the gun"

"I don't care, Sam! I don't care what Dad wants, okay? And since when do _you_ care what Dad wants?

"_We_ want to kill this demon. You used to want that, too! Hell, you're the one who came and got me at school! You're the one who dragged me back into this, Dean! I'm just tryin' to finish it!" Sam shouted.

"... Well, you and Dad are a lot more alike than I thought, you know that? You both can't wait to sacrifice yourself for this thing. But you know what? I'm gonna be the one to bury you. You're selfish, you know that? You don't care about anything but revenge" Kat sighed, she began retrieving various items from the trunk.

"That's not true, Dean. I want Dad back. But they are expecting us to bring this gun. They get the gun, they will kill us all. That Colt is our only leverage, and you know it, Dean. We cannot bring that gun. We can't" Sam put his foot down.

"Fine" Dean sounded like a school boy who had been told off.

"I'm serious, Dean" Sam warned him.

"I said "fine", Sam" He took the Colt out of his coat pocket, showed it to Sam, and placed it in the open trunk. Kat slammed it shut.

They began to walk in silence. They reached a few trees and hid behind them.

"Hey, guys. I think I know what Meg meant by "Sunrise" Kat gestured across the street, to an apartment complex called Sunrise Apartments.

"Son of a bitch. That's pretty smart. I mean, if these demons can possess people, they can possess almost anybody inside" Dean announced.

"Yeah. And make anybody attack us" Sam sighed.

"And so we can't kill them, a building full of human shields" Kat shook her head.

"They probably know exactly what we look like, too. And they can look like anybody" Kat considered Sam's words.

"This sucks out loud" Dean sulked.

"Yeah, tell me about it. All right, so, how the hell are we gonna get in?" Sam asked Kat.

"They know what you look like, they don't know who I am, and even if they did they won't expect me to be juiced up on blood" Kat smiled.

"Kat I don't know about this" Dean began.

"I'll pull the fire alarm. Get out all the civilians" She told him with confidence.

"Okay. But then the city responds in, what, seven minutes?" Sam asked.

"Seven minutes, exactly" Dean told him.

"Well it's a good job I'm fast then isn't it"

Kat entered the building and looked around. Once she was sure no one was around she pulled the fire alarm.

The civilians began to evacuate the building. Dean walked up to a fireman.

"Hey, what's happening? Is there a fire?" He asked.

"We're figuring that out right now, sir. Just stay back" The man told him.

"Well, I got a Yorkie upstairs, and he pees when he's nervous" While Dean was talking to the fireman, Sam snuck around to one of the fire trucks and picked the lock on the door.

Kat closed her eyes and concentrated, the building was silent except the sound of someone moving around in the apartment a floor up. She ran, so quickly no human would be able to see her. She knocked the door.

"This is the fire department, we need you to evacuate!" She heard the door unlocking. A woman with jet black eyes stood in front of her, She holds out her hand to Kat but nothing happened.

"Sorry bitch that trick just doesn't work on a freak like me" Her eyes shone red, her fangs extended , she hissed at the demons and lunged forward.

Sam and Dean came running in the room in fire fighters uniforms. Kat was holding the cupboard door shut with one hand and attempting to open a salt container with the other. The demons were shouting and screaming, banging on the door attempting to get free but Kat held it as if nothing was happening.

"Don't you two look hot in your uniforms?" She threw the salt to Sam and he poured a line across the bottom of the door. Kat let go. She closed her eyes and opened them again; they had returned to normal.

"Wow, that took some energy I can tell you that" She slid down the wall.

"Where's Dad?" Dean looked around the room. Kat pointed to the bedroom door.

"Dad?" He checked to see if John was still alive. "He's still breathing" Dean shook him. "Dad, wake up. Dad!" Dean took out a knife and was about to cut his ropes when Sam came in propping up Kat.

"Wait, wait" Sam placed Kat on the empty bed.

"What?" Dean asked.

"He could be possessed for all we know"

"Something's wrong I, I can't feel it" Kat told them both.

"Dean, we've got to be sure" Sam took out a bottle of holy water and poured some on John. He woke up.

" Sam? Why are you splashin' water on me?" Sam smiled, relieved.

"Dad, you okay?" Dean smiled brightly.

" They've been druggin' me" He sighed, "Where's the Colt?"

"Don't ask about your children's wellbeing first whatever you do" Kat whispered to herself.

"Don't worry, Dad. It's safe"

" Good, boys. Good, boys"

"We need to get out of here Dean" Kat announced.

"What's wrong? Are you ok?" John asked as Dean helped him to his feet.

"Took on the two demons that were holding you hostage, put them in the cupboard" She smiled.

"Kat you don't look so good" He told her.

"I'm fine just a little too much for me, that's all" She attempted to stand up, a bit wobbly but she managed it.

"You sure babe?" Dean placed his hands on her hip. "I can go and get your flask if you need it"

"I'll be fine, let's just get back to the car"

The brothers walked to the door of the apartment, with John over their shoulders. Two possessed men came bursting through the door.

" Go! Go!" Sam shouted.

" Back, back!" They rushed back into the bedroom and locked the door behind them. An axe came through the door.

"Go through the window now!" Kat shouted. "I'll hold them off"

"Kat no!" Dean begged her.

"Go!" She picked up the salt and drew a line in front of the door. She turns back, the Winchesters were still there. "Go!" The obeyed and begin to climb down to the side walk. Kat opened the door, she ran as fast as she could, appearing as a blur to the men. She drew a tight circle of salt around them.

"Later boys" She began to walk to the elevator.

She stumbled out of the building. Dean flew across the parking lot and into the windshield of a parked car. A man was punching Sam in the face, again and again as he lay on the ground. Kat had no energy left, she had no other choice, the Cult was lying next to the car Dean had just been thrown into and shot the man in the head. Dean got up, dazed and ran over to Sam. he helped him up.

"Come on. Come on, we've got to get out of here"


	36. Chapter 22 part 5

They took refuge in a rundown building, Sam put salt on the windowsill, while Kat lay on the bed. Dean entered the room.

"How is he?" Sam asked Dean.

"He just needed a little rest, that's all. How are you?"

"I'll survive. Hey, you don't think we were followed here, do you?" Sam was a little shook up after the beating he had taken.

"I don't know. I don't think so. We couldn't have found a more out-of-the-way place to hold up"

"Yeah. Hey, you saved my life back there" He gestured to Kat.

"So, I guess you're glad we brought the gun, huh?" Dean smiled.

"You know that guy I shot? There was a person in there" Kat spoke, she had was exhausted but she didn't feel safe not here.

"You didn't have a choice, babe" Dean sat next to her and placed his arm around her.

"Yeah, I know. That's not what bothers me"

"Then what does?" Sam asked.

"I didn't hesitate. I didn't even flinch ... imagine what I would have done if I was ... thirsty ... It scares me to think of what I'm capable off" John entered the room.

"It shouldn't. You did good, you saved me and my son"

" You're not mad?" Dean asked him.

"For what?"

" Usin' a bullet" Dean frowned.

"Well I wasn't about to let Sam die to save a bullet" Kat sat up.

"Mad? I'm proud of you. You know, Sam and I, we can get pretty obsessed. But you—you watch out for this family"

"Thanks" She still had a feeling that when the chips were down he'd stake her the first chance he got. Suddenly, the lights in the room began to flicker. A strong wind began to blow outside. They all moved to the window.

"It found us. It's here" John told them.

"The demon?" Kat asked. She disappeared into the kitchen; she ripped open a bag of blood and drank the entire contents.

"Sam, lines of salt in front of every window, every door" John ordered.

"Already did it" Sam nodded.

"Well, check it, okay?" Sam left the room. "Dean, you got the gun?"

"Yeah"

"Give it to me"

"Dad, Sam tried to shoot the demon in Salvation. It vanished"

"This is me. I won't miss. Now, the gun. Hurry" Dean held the gun but didn't give it to his father.

"Son, please" Dean took a few steps back as Kat appeared, blood soaked and eyes red.

"Give me the gun. What are you doing, Dean?"

"I told you Dean ... He'd be furious that I used that bullet even if it was to save Sam's life" Kats fangs dropped.

"What?" John looked confused.

"That I wasted a bullet. He wouldn't be proud of me. He already hates me" Dean raised the gun and cocked it.

"You're not my dad"

"Dean, it's me, are you gonna take her word over mine?" He sounded hurt, Kat hissed.

"I know my dad better than anyone. And you ain't him"

"What the hell has gotten into you?, you'd believe this monster over your own father" Sam entered the room.

"Dean? What the hell is going on?" he observed Kats blood soaked clothing and his brother pointing a gun at his father.

"Kat's lost her mind"

" He's not John" She told him.

"What?" Sam asked slowly approaching.

" He's possessed. I think he's been possessed since we rescued him, I warned you that he didn't ... feel right"

"Don't listen to her, Sammy, she's hyped up on blood"

"Dean, how do you know?" Kat was shocked that he asked Dean instead of her, did he believe that it was the blood talking.

" He's different" Dean told his brother.

"You know, we don't have time for this. Sam, you want to kill this demon, you've got to trust me" Sam looked back and forth at John and Dean. "Sam?"

" No" He shook his head. "No" He walked over to Dean and Kat. John began to cry.

"Fine. You're both willing to take her word, a vampire. Go ahead. Kill me" He hung his head in sadness. Dean, near tears, lowered the gun. "I thought so" He looked up. Possessed by the demon, his eyes a fiery orange. Suddenly, Sam and Dean are both pinned against the walls of the room. Kat attempted to lunge.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you ... one move and your little friends die" Kat straighten up and took a few steps back. "You are a strange one" He smiled at her as he picked the Cult up from the floor.

"What a pain in the ass this thing's been"

"It's you, isn't it? We've been lookin' for you for a long time" Sam's tone was full of hatred.

"You found me"

"But the holy water…." He continued.

"You think somethin' like that works on somethin' like me?" Sam tried to lift his head, but the demon kept him against the wall.

"I'm gonna kill you!" Sam shouted.

"Oh, that'd be a neat trick. In fact, here" He placed the gun on a nearby table. "Make the gun float to ya there, psychic boy" Nothing happened, the demon chuckled. "Well, this is fun. I could've killed you a hundred times today, but this…" He sighed "….this is worth the wait" He turned to Dean.

"Your dad? He's in here with me—trapped inside his own meat suit. He says "hi", by the way. He's gonna tear you apart. He's gonna taste the iron in your blood"

"Let him go. Or I swear to God" Dean began.

"What? What are you and God gonna do? You see, as far as I'm concerned, this is justice You know that little exorcism of yours? That was my daughter"

"Who, Meg?" Kat questioned.

"The one in the alley? That was my boy. You understand?"

"I shot him, it was me" Kat told him.

"Well since all your family are dead and you did it to save a Winchester I'm gonna carry on like I planned if you don't mind sweetheart?"

"You've got to be kiddin' me" Dean sighed.

" What? You're the only one who can have a family? You destroyed my children. How would you feel if I killed _your_family? Or your lover?" Dean remained silent, he smiles wickedly. "Oh, that's right. I forgot. I did. Still, two wrongs don't make a right"

"You son of a bitch" Dean shouted.

"I wanna know why. Why'd you do it?" He turned to Sam.

"You mean, why'd I kill Mommy and pretty little Jess?"

"Yeah"

"You know, I never told you this, but Sam was gonna ask her to marry him. Been shoppin' for rings and everything" He told Dean. "You wanna know why? Because they got in the way"

"In the way of what?"

"My plans for you, Sammy—you….and all the children like you"

"Listen….you mind just gettin' this over with, huh? 'Cause I really can't stand the monologuing" Dean told him.

"Funny. But that's all part of your M.O., isn't it? Mask all that nasty pain. Mask the truth"

"Oh, yeah? What's that?"

"You know, you fight and you fight for this family, but the truth is….they don't need you. Not like you need them. Sam—he's clearly John's favourite. Even when they fight. It's more concern than he's ever shown you"

" I bet your real proud of your kids, too, huh? Oh, wait, I forgot. I wasted 'em" He smiled weakly. The demon said nothing, took a step back, and lowered his head. A moment later, he raised his eyes and Dean began to bleed heavily from the chest. He screamed in agony. Kat turned away.

"Dean! No!" She screamed. He continued to scream as more blood poured out of him.

"Dad! Dad, don't you let it kill me!" The bleeding got heavier. He cried and moaned in pain. Blood began to pour out of his mouth. Kat dropped to her knees; her blood lust was beginning to take over.

"Maybe I'll kill your little vampire too, collect the whole set of the Winchester's women" Kat's vision became blurry, anger clouding her thoughts.

"Dean!" Sam grunted as he tried to break free from the wall.

"Dad, please" Dean pleaded, the bleeding stopped, but his head hung, he was unconscious.

"Dean! No!" Kat screamed, she felt so helpless. The demon lowered his head.

"Stop" When he lifted his head his eyes had returned to normal. "Stop it" The force holding the boys to the wall was released. Kat rushed to the table and grabbed the Colt. She pointed it at John, once again he had been taken over by the demon. "You kill me, you kill their Daddy"

"I know" She shot him in the leg, and he fell to the floor, unconscious. She ran to Deans side.

"Hey. Oh, God. You lost a lot of blood" it took all of her control not to lick it from his chest.

"Where's Dad?" He asked weakly.

"He's right here. He's right here, Dean" She rested his head on her lap.

"Sam go check on him. Go check on him" Sam walked over to John. "Did he hurt you?"

"No, no I'm fine, I was worried about you though" Tears streaked down her face.

"Hey, I'm fine"

"You don't look fine" She sobbed.

"Hey, hey I love you"

"I love you too ... I need to get out of here for a minute" She wiped away her tears.

"Is it the blood?"

"Yeah I'm so sorry"

"It's fine, start the car we need to find the nearest hospital"

"Okay" She kissed his forehead and quickly exited the building.

"Dad? Dad?" Sam gently shook him, suddenly he woke up.

" Sammy! It's still alive. It's inside me. I can feel it. You shoot me. You shoot me! You shoot me in the heart, son!" Sam with tears in his eyes, raised the gun and cocked it. "Do it, now!"

"Sam, don't you do it. Don't you do it" Dean shouted.

"You've got to hurry! I can't hold on to it much longer! You shoot me, son! Shoot me!" Sam struggled to make a decision. "Son, I'm beggin' you! We can end this here and now! Sammy!"

" Sam, no" Dean was crying.

" You do this! Sammy! Sam…" Suddenly, John screamed. the demon erupted from his mouth in a cloud of black smoke disappearing through the floorboards of the room. John looked at Sam sadly, breathing heavily. All three Winchesters were in tears.

Kat was driving, John sat in the passenger seat, clearly in pain. Dean lay in the backseat, covered in blood, exhausted. Sam next to him.

" Just hold on, all right? Hospital's only ten minutes away" She had all the windows open in an attempt to air the smell of blood.

"I'm surprised at you, Sammy. Why didn't you kill it? I thought we saw eye to eye on this—killin' this demon comes first. Before me, before everything"

"No, sir. Not before everything. Look, we still have the Colt. We still have the one bullet left. We just have to start over, all right, I mean, we already found the demon—"

An enormous 18-wheeler semi slammed into the side of the Impala, sending it careening off the road. A piece of glass had dug into Kat's chest, she glanced in the rear view mirror, the brothers were unconscious, she attempted to move but she was in too much pain. She took a deep breath and slowly began to pull the shard from her chest. Screaming in pure agony as blood began to pour from her body. She threw it out of the window and clambered into the backseat. She pulled her flask from the compartment of the door. She pulled the lid off and drank the remaining liquid. It wasn't enough. She glanced at the unconscious Dean, his chest covered in blood, his open wounds dripping with that seductive liquid.


	37. Previously

Then

An enormous 18-wheeler semi slammed into the side of the Impala, sending it careening off the road. A piece of glass had dug into Kat's chest, she glanced in the rear view mirror, the brothers were unconscious, she attempted to move but she was in too much pain. She took a deep breath and slowly began to pull the shard from her chest. Screaming in pure agony as blood began to pour from her body. She threw it out of the window and clambered into the backseat. She pulled her flask from the compartment of the door. She pulled the lid off and drank the remaining liquid. It wasn't enough. She glanced at the unconscious Dean, his chest covered in blood, his open wounds dripping with that seductive liquid.

Now

...


	38. Part 2 Chapter 1

Her slender fangs extend agonisingly slowly, the blood glistening on Dean's chest intoxicated her. She inhaled deeply. Instantly the door of the Impala was ripped off its hinges, the demon; his eyes as black as night.

"Back it up honey" She grabbed the Colt from the backseat. Last time she checked Sam had it.

"Oh I don't think the Winchester's would appreciate you using their last bullet fangs" He smirked. She cocked the gun.

"Try me" Her vision began to cloud, the smell was over whelming ... it was too much too fast. A cloud of black smoke poured from the man's mouth, he collapses. Kat sighed and began to clamber out of the car, the truck driver regained consciousness. She lay on the floor hoping the fresh air would calm her vampiric urges.

"Oh my god!" He screamed at her. "Did I do this?" She felt weak, the sound of his pulse, the smell of the blood.

"Get ... help" She blacked out.

Kat's eyes shot open, she sat up. She felt ... amazing. She looked to the tube in her arm. Blood transfusion. Lots and lots of blood. She pulled the wire from her arm the wound healing instantly.

"Miss" A nurse ran into her room. "Miss please, you've lost a lot of blood, please get back in bed" She attempted to assist her back down, obviously it would take more than a human to move her now.

"Look I'm fine, just ... the men in the crash with me, are they ok?" The nurse ushered her back onto the bed. She could tell by the look on her face there was bad news. She attempted to concentrate on her words, so much noise from the corridor, all the smells and sensations. Maybe being pumped up on blood could have its advantages.

"The older man" The nurse began.

"John?" She nodded. Not that she really cared for him at this moment.

"Yes he's fine. A broken arm, nothing serious" She knew there was a 'but' coming somewhere.

"The youngest ... he's absolutely fine, few cuts and bruises, left not so long ago, something about retrieving your car" John's doing, the Colt first, his son's health second. Bastard.

"And Dean? My ... is he ok?" She sighed, the nurse hesitated. She could feel her pulse increase. She was going to attempt to lie or just hated giving bad news.

"The other man ... he sustained serious injury: blood loss, contusions to his liver and kidney ..."

"And ..." A tear slid down her face, she looked the nurse straight in the eye.

"And?" Her resolve was easy to break, no resistance maybe it was all the blood or maybe she was just weak.

"Head trauma. There's early signs of cerebral edema. We won't know his full condition until he wakes up ... if he wakes up" Kat burst into tears. The nurse awkwardly attempted to hug her. It failed.

"Just tell me straight ... what are his chances" She wasn't sure she really wanted to know. The nurse pulled back and frowned.

"Most people with this degree of injury wouldn't have survived this long. He's fighting very hard. But you need to have realistic expectations, I'm sorry" Kat stood again.

"Can I see him?" She wiped away her tears. "Please"

"Miss look like I said you've lost a lot of blood and-" Kat cut her off.

"I'm fine, please just let me see him ... please" She begged. No need for compulsion this time, she gave in.

John sat at Dean's bed side, arm in a sling. Looking sorry for himself.

"How is he?" Kat shut the door behind her and sat by Dean's side, taking hold of his hand. He looked ... weak.

"... Did they tell you about ... his condition?" John sighed heavily. She nodded.

"Yeah ... where's Sam?" she knew he ought to be here if the worse came to the worse.

"I sent him to Bobby, we need to find the Colt Kat" He told her, expecting her to understand.

"Your son is dying, and you're worried about the Colt!" She felt a surge of anger, she rose to her feet. This blood was magnifying her emotions, she was out of her depth.

"We're hunting this demon, and maybe it's hunting us too. That gun may be our only card and you know it" In a sick twisted way she knew he was probably right, if that thing came to the hospital they needed protection.

"He's done everything you've ever asked him too. Everything. He gave up everything he

ever had. And you're just going to sit there and you're going to watch him die? What the hell kind of father are you?" Her fangs dropped. She was angry she needed to calm herself.

"What you gonna do Kat kill me?" He scoffed, in a weird way it actually looked like he would be ok with that.

"Don't even tempt me ... look I know you hate me, what I am and I think I've made it pretty obvious that I hate you too, but I love your son ... both of them infact and I know you need me" She smirked.

"Need you?" He raised his eyebrow. He couldn't fool her.

"Well couldn't hurt having a vampire on your team huh? So don't pretend that you're doing this for Danny ok, you back up end of discussion" She turned to look at Dean.

"... Kat-" He began ... he sounded as if he was going to attempt and apology, she didn't want to hear it, it would be disingenuous anyway. To him she was a means to and end.

"Why did you send Sam to Bobby?" She walked over to the window, attempting to calm down.

"He toed the Impala to his yard, Cults in the trunk ... and I need some supplies" The way he said it, it just sounded ... ominous.

"Supplies?" Kat raised her eyebrow.

"Acacia, Oil of Abramelin" Kat shook her head.

"You're going to summon him? Here? ... I guess that is all you care about" she stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut behind her. She felt ... something, something dark. She examined the hall way nothing out of the ordinary just a young woman, a patient judging by her attire. She had a jet black bob, she sat in the row of plastic chairs that lined the corridor. No one else around, must be the blood.

"Kat!" She turned to see Sam running towards her, he dropped his duffle bag and threw his arms around her. "You're ok" He kissed the top of her head.

"Sammy I'm ... you know, it would take more than a truck to take me out" She winked. They laughed slightly.

"So err have you ...been told ... told about Dean?" He frowned. He sure as hell didn't want to be the one to have to tell her.

"Yeah ... he's strong Sammy, he can do this" She smiled half heartedly. She turned to take a seat, the young woman had gone.

"Listen Kat I was, I was thinking ... if he doesn't, if it looks like he's not gonna ... make it, then ... maybe you could ... you know?" He nodded, indicating ... something, she wasn't getting it.

"I don't, I ... what do you want me to do Sammy?" She shrugged. He took a deep breath.

"You could ... turn him" He stated as if it would be no small feat, like it was the obvious choice.

"No! ... No way, he wouldn't want that" She shook her head. "No Sam, I'm sorry"

"He'll die" He simply stated.

"He'd never forgive me if I ... he says that, that what I am is ... its ok and I'm still me, I'm still Kat but I know that deep down it bothers him ... what I am" It had too, he hated what he hunted and she was one of them.

"He loves you ... we both do" Sam smiled reassuringly.

"And I love him too ... that's why I won't do it" She shrugged.

"Ok, I guess I just thought that ... I was clutching at straws I suppose ... sorry" Awkward silence followed.

"Kat, you know, the demon, he said he had plans for me, and children like me. What do you think he meant by that?" His question took her by surprise, why would she know anything about his plan? John hell yeah probably but her no.

"No sweetie, I, I don't. I'm sorry but whatever it is we can handle it, right?" She smiled, he smiled back, for a few moments everything seemed normal; the hunt, the planning ... but in reality everything was far from it. They faced losing Dean. His brother, her ... lover?, boyfriend? What they had seemed more ... deep, far beyond pure infatuation. If only she had the courage to tell him earlier how she felt, then they could have spent more time together, it could be too late now.

"Kat, dad he's planning to summon the demon" Sam gestured to the bag.

"I know, he told me" She stretched, her muscles were tense, she had to start upping the dosage of blood. It felt ... good, a little overwhelming but she'd get used to it.

"I'm gonna go talk to him, see what the plan is" He stood, picking up the bag. He walked into Dean's room. He seemed determined.

"If he'll actually tell you the lying little bitch" Kat huffed, a strange feeling like she was being watched washed over her. She heard the sound of a glass smashing in Dean's room shortly followed by a beeping noise. Doctor's and Nurses rushed past her and Sam and John were escorted out instantly. Kat stood up and joined Sam at the doorway, tears welled in their eyes.

"No pulse" A nurse announced. Kat closed her eyes.

"Clear" They attempted to resuscitate him.

"Still no pulse" Sam put his arm around Kat and pulled her close.

"Okay, let's go again, 360" She wrapped her arms around Sam and nuzzled her head against his chest, she couldn't watch.

"Charging" Nothing ..., Sam looked around, he looked as if he had heard something. He rested his head on top of hers.

"We have a pulse. We're back into sinus rhythm" Sam and Kat sighed in relief.

"What do you mean, you felt something?" John questioned Sam; they all sat in his hospital room. He had a broken arm surely there were people much more in need of this room than him, they had already placed another patient in hers.

"I mean it felt like, like Dean. Like he was there, just out of eyeshot or something. I don't know if it's my psychic thing or what, it... But do you think it's even possible?" Sam looked over to Kat. "I mean, do you think his spirit could be around?" He shrugged.

"Anything's possible" John smiled.

"I felt it too ... when we were sitting out by the vending machine ... like I was being watched" Kat took the last bite from her sandwich, if only catering to her vampiric needs were so simple. "Well, there's one way to find out" Kat stood up, "I'll be right back, call me if anything happens ok?" She threw the wrapper in the bin. "Oh, car keys?" she held out her hand, Sam threw them to her.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

"I got an idea, I'll be right back" Kat smiled.

Kat returned and proceeded into Dean's room. She held a brown paper bag under her arm and had purchased a change of clothing from the first store she spotted on her way. Black jeans, red top. Simple.

"Dean sweetie? Ok. Don't make fun of me for this, it's the only thing I could think of" She removed a box labelled 'Mystical Talking Board' from the bag and placed it on the floor, she sat crossed legged in front of it.

"Dean, are you their?" She placed her hand on the pointer, it moved. Yes. "Oh my god I can't believed this worked, and I bet you were laughing at me weren't you?" The pointer moved slowly as if to answer No, suddenly it was placed back on yes. "Your funny, what's happening to you?" She asked, sadness echoed in her voice. The pointer began moving, to the letters. H ... U. "Dean, what? H? U? Hunt? Hunting? What, are you hunting?" The pointer slid slightly away then back to Yes.

"It's in the hospital, what you're hunting? Do, do you know what it is?" ... nothing. "Oh, sorry to many questions err ok what is it?" Again the pointer begins to move. R ... E ... A ...P. "A reaper. Dean. Is it after you?" The pointer slid to Yes. "If it's here naturally, then ... there's no way to stop it ..." She sat in silence thinking, if there's a reaper around why she hasn't seen it. Or had she? "No. No, no, no, um, there's gotta be a way, everything has a weakness ... what does it look like?" The pointer moved to the letter Y. "Err Ok there's no way of sugar coating this ... so I'm just gonna go right ahead and say it ... I probably should have told you this earlier, but ... the time never really, its not something you drop into conversation, I, I can see ... the reapers" The pointer moved a few inches and then back to the letter Y. "Danny always said it was because I'd seen so many tragic things, witnessed death... but now I guess it's cause I'm, I'm half dead, maybe? I don't know. I don't really like to think about it and I'm sorry I didn't tell you it's just that well ... you know ... a little weird ... but I guess I am, well I'm a lot weird ... Do you forgive me?" ... Yes.

"I love you Dean" A tear rolled down her cheek. M ... E ... 2. "You know what ... It doesn't matter what it looks like too you cause ... you know they can alter a humans perception so ..." She wiped away her tears with her sleeve. W ... H ... A ...T. "What it looks like to you, it could be anything that it thinks will, I don't know ... help you accept death" O ... K ... X.

"Ok I'm gonna go check things out see if I can find a way to help you, I'll be back as soon as I find anything" X...X...X. "be careful Dean" U ... 2. She picked up the board and placed it back into the bag. She slid it under Dean's hospital bed.

She rushed to John's room, no sign of him or Sam. She pulled her phone from her pocket and dialled Bobby's number. She returned to Dean's room, closing the door, keeping away from innocent ears.

"Katherine, are you alright half-pint?, Sam said you were out when he left" Bobby's concern was obvious, it made her smile. This reminded her of when she used to call Danny.

"I'm fine Bobby thank you for asking, they err gave me a blood transfusion so I'm a little ...-" she wasn't sure what the word for it would be.  
"High?" He suggested.

"Yeah ... I feel, restless and hyperactive like I need to do something, need to waste energy if that makes sense?" She hoped it did, she could use some advice.

"Listen obviously they gave you too much for your body to handle, you've gone without blood for so long, it's like a sugar rush ... listen just take it easy ok go for a run burn some of the extra juice, see if it helps" It sounded like a good idea, she need to be a little more grounded right now.

"So if I ... were too up the dosage slowly do you think my body will adjust?" She wasn't sure he'd like the idea of her hopped up on blood.

"Kat, why would you wanna do something like that?" He wasn't judging. It was a genuine question.

"I just ... I just don't wanna feel weak or thirsty all the time and hunting is a draining experience at the best of times but ... using my ...-"  
"Abilities" He finished her sentence for her.

"It makes me weak, not drinking blood makes me weak it's like, like the more I drink the more I need" She closed her eyes.

"Look, I understand so what your gonna do is up the intake a little every so often till you find a balance, not to hyped not to drained ok? No more, no less d'you hear me missy?" His scolding made her giggle.

"Yeah, sounds like the best advice I've heard since ... well the V bombshell" She nodded.

"It ent gone be easy kiddo but your strong, hell your human ... you can handle this" He sounded so sure.

"I will try my hardest sir, believe me this is ... its strangely ok, I mean if I wasn't ... what I am I could be dead right now" Hell she could have been dead a million times over the scraps her vampirism must have aided her with when she was unaware of its existence. .

"Perks are fine but the cost ... you just gotta stay on the straight and narrow, you can do it, you're an Elkin's for Christ sake!" She smiled, name doesn't carry as much weight as Winchester of course but still their rep was a fine one.

"Thank you Bobby" She smiled, he remind her of her uncle.

"You're welcome sweetiepie, you need me you give me a call understand, anytime" His voice held a tone of authority.

"Thank you, I think I'll be holding you to that" she huffed.

"So i guess you didn't just call me for a chat, what d'ya need?" Time to talk business.

"Know anything about killing reapers?" It sounded silly when she said it out loud.

"Err sweetheart you can't kill death" He sounded unconvinced himself.

"Dude, I'm dead and I'm pretty sure John could take me out with his cross bow if the opportunity presented itself" She scoffed the idea John would even consider trying to kill her, she'd rip his throat out and probably enjoy it too.

"Yeah but you're the walking dead err no offense" She smirked. He made it sound like she should be eating people's brains.

"Non taken" She laughed.

"Their ... well death" She could hear him gathering books.

"Well what about ... I don't know preventing the reaping?" She suggested.

"Is this about Dean? Listen I know that you lo-" She cut him off.

"Bobby he's hear in the hospital and a reaper's after him, surly there's some way too ..." Save his life, if they managed to stop the reaper would another one simply take its place?

"I'll take a look but ..." He didn't sound too optimistic. He knew.

"I know ... thank you Bobby again" She thanked him one last time.

"Go for that little run, then get some sleep you got a human side to take care of too remember, I'll call you as soon as I find anything"

"Ok" he hung up. She peered over at the window, she opened it as wide as it would go and examined the height from the floor. Two stories, she could make that right? Well if not it was a hospital window so probably the best place to test the theory.

It was nothing ... she landed like a cat, ironic actually as that was the name nickname she had back home, the Cat ruthless vampire killer ... even more ironic that she herself was a vampire. Life's a bitch. She ran, too fast for anybody to see; it was close to eleven so the grounds were empty. She ran and ran and ran. She could feel it, weakness, exhaustion but thankfully no thirst, she stopped. The cold night air felt good, being cooped up in that little room all day with a constant reminder that at any moment Dean could die. She could lose him. She took a deep breath, Bobby's idea of sleep sounded good at that moment. She walked back to Dean's open window and jumped, she climbed through with ease, no noise. Emotionally drained was exactly how she felt. High tension not to mention the blood making the situation worse. She sat in the chair next to Dean's bed, she closed her eyes, drifted off almost instantly.

She was awoken abruptly by Sam's screaming,

"Help! I need help!" He turned to her. Dean was awake! He was awake and unfortunately choking on the tube in his throat. Can't have everything.

"I can't explain it. The edema's vanished. The internal contusions are healed. Your vitals are good. You have some kind of angel watching over you" The doctor smiled. Sam and Kat exchanged worried looks. It was amazing that he was alive but ... how?

"Thanks, doc" Dean clutched Kat's hand. The doctor left the room.

"So you said a Reaper was after me?" Dean turned to her, she had been in the middle of explaining earlier before Dr. Handsome came to deliver the good news.

"Yeah sweetie it was" She smiled, so why wasn't it now?

"How'd I ditch it?" He asked.

"You got me. Dean, you really don't remember anything?" She couldn't understand how it had happened. Something big obviously reapers don't just have a change of heart.

"No. Except this pit in my stomach" He gestured to his stomach.

" Sam, something's wrong, as glad as I am that your ok Dean, you don't just get out of jail free from a reaper" A knock at the door interrupter their conversation. John appeared.

"How you feeling, dude?" He smiled, Kat checked her phone, no word from Bobby, she decided to put him out of his misery, stop the useless research.

"Fine, I guess. I'm alive" Dean nodded.

"That's what matters" John walked into the room.

"I'm just gonna make a quick call I'll be right back" She stepped outside. "Hey Bobby it's me"

"Listen pumpkin I've looked though every book I own there noth-" He sounded tired.

"He's alive" Her tone was worried.

"How in the hell?" She bet he looked as shocked as he sounded.

"The err supplies John asked you to get, he wanted to summon him here ... maybe he wanted a little talk" Kat knew he'd catch her drift.

"Made a deal" Bingo!

"It's not unheard of" She watched as Sam left the room.

"Kat going to get some coffee you want anything?" He pointed in the direction of the cafe.

"Err yeah a cold drink please sweetie, thank you" She smiled at him, no need to worry him. "I'll call you back as soon as I know something" she told him.

"What you gonna do kid?"

"Confront him, get some sleep" she hung up and peered through the window, John had his hand on Dean's shoulder. She focused listening intently.

"I want you to watch out for Sammy, okay" He was near tears.

"Yeah, dad, you know I will. You're scaring me" Dean looked worried.

"Don't be scared, Dean" He leaned in and whispered something to him. She couldn't quite make it out. When he pulled back Dean's expression was one of shock. John turned and left the room. He stopped in front of Kat. He stared at her.

"I'm sorry" She stated breaking the awkward silence.

"What for?" He asked sounded like he didn't really care.

"You really do love your son" She nodded.

"How did you-" He looked confused.

"The supplies, Dean's miraculous recovery, I'm a hunter too you know ... a deal with a demon that's, that's heavy" She shrugged; didn't really know what else to say.

"He's my son" Was his answer, the perfect answer.

"Thank you John" she smiled.

"I didn't do it for you" He spat.  
"I know, you hate me I got it" She smirked.

"Look Kat, we may not see eye to eye and no I'm not comfortable with what you are, but Dean he loves you and you make him happy, iv haven't seen him happy in a long time ... just don't hurt him" That was a serious warning, she did wonder though how exactly would he punish her from hell?

"I would never-" she began.

"Not willingly but as harsh as this sounds at the end of the day you're still a vampire ..." He shook his head, like the words pained him.

"I'm half human" She couldn't believe he had the nerve to talk to her like that, if Dean could hear him now he'd know what he was really like. Worshipping false idol much.

"I just hope that's enough" That sentence sounded genuine, like he hoped she would take care of his sons, cause he never could,.

"How long did you get?" He pulled the Cult from his pocket.

"Not long" She frowned. Ten years was the norm.

"Would you like me to come with you?" He nodded. She followed him into the nearest empty room , john placed the Cult on the table and then he feel. Kat rushed forward at high speed cradling his head, she placed him on the ground gently.

"Help!" She began to scream, Sam came rushing in dropping the coffee cups as he witnesses his father's lifeless body. A crowd of doctors and nurses pile in and attempt resuscitation, Kat and Sam hovered in the doorway. Dean joined them.

"What's going on?" Kat gestured to the scene with her head. A nurse attempted to push the three of them out of the room.

"No, no, no, it's our dad. It's our dad!" dean pleaded. "Come on" He begged his father. Kat turned away.

"Okay, stop compressions" The doctor announced.

"Come on, come on" He repeated.

"Still no pulse" A nurse told the doctor.

"Okay, that's it everybody ... I'll call it. Time of death: 10:41 am"


	39. Part 2 Chapter 2

"What do I do Bobby? ... I can't just lie and pretend I mean they're not stupid" Kat held her head in her hands. Bobby pulled out a bottle of whisky and poured her a double. The boys had gone to retrieve their father's body.

"Did he tell you not to say anything? You know before he ... died" Bobby handed her the glass. She looked up at him, tears welling in her eyes.

"No, I he just wanted to get it over with, I mean maybe he thought I wouldn't lie to the guys?" She gulped it, not as satisfying as blood but it was her guilt that needed soothing not her thirst.

"Would you?" His question was simple.

"If I tell Dean his father died to save his life ... it'll, it'll kill him" She rubbed the bridge of her nose between her fingers.

"To be honest, if I were you ... I'd keep my trap shut" He poured himself a glass and pointed the bottle towards her, she nodded.

"I know but ... if he finds out I lied ..." she filled her glass and drank.

"He loves ya kid, he'll understand once he's done greavin' ya just gotta give him time" She poured another. She'd never drank this much before ... could vampires even get drunk?

"I don't know ... I can't tell Sam either, I know he's understand but I can't tell him and not Dean it's just, well it's not cricket as we like to say back home" She scoffed, another.

"Darlin' just don't say anything, like you said their not stupid ... well not that stupid, I think they'll figure it out on their own but for now just ... John wouldn't want him carting that burden" Bobby took the empty bottle away from her and chucked it in the trash.

"Your right, your right I know you are it's just ... its hard you know" She half heartedly smiled to him.

"Damn right I know Katherine, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do" His words indicated he had experience at this sort of thing; if she had to suffer to prevent the boys from having to then it's be worth it in the end.

The three of them stood silently, staring into the flames as John's body burned on the pyre. The boys stood hands in pockets, Sam was fidgeting. Kat felt like she didn't belong here all the bull John spouted in front of the boys about her being family and all that time he was using her, for back up. Back up please, she was a bad ass hybrid and he wanted her as plan B. In the words of Bobby idjit!. She huffed at the thought.

"Before he.. before, did he say anything to you? About anything?" Sam broke the silence.

"No. Nothing" Dean didn't even turn to face his brother. Liar, Kat saw John whispering to Dean just before he died. She put two and two together and figured it must be about Sam and it must be bad. Why else would Dean lie ... maybe he's trying to protect Sam. People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones she supposed.

They had been staying with Bobby for the past week, Dean had been working on the Impala and avoiding confronting the issue of his fathers death. He wouldn't even talk to Kat. She sat in Bobby's kitchen, staring into her flask of warm blood. She had slowly started to drink a little more, Bobby suggested upping her intake every month or so ... the boys were not aware of this little experiment. Sam had stepped outside to see if Dean needed any help on the Impala. She was eavesdropping on their conversation, it wasn't too hard they weren't too far away but still she had to focus.

"Stop it, Sam" Dean ordered in his best John voice.

"Stop what?" Sam asked, attempting to sound innocent.

"Stop asking if I need anything, stop asking if I'm okay. I'm okay. Really. I promise" Dean shouted.  
"liar" Kat spoke to herself.

"All right, Dean, it's just..." Bobby interrupted her by walking into the kitchen.

"You talkin to me kid?" She held up a slender finger to indicate for him to be quiet.

"You know what? You're right. Come here. I'm gonna lay my head gently on your shoulder. Maybe we can cry, hug, and maybe even slow dance" Sarcastic as always.

"He's being a dick" Kat announced to Bobby. "Sam went to check on him, see if he was ok and now he's just being-"

"A dick, yeah I got it" She laughed at his comment.

"Say something, all right? Hell, say anything! Aren't you angry? Don't you want revenge? But all you do is sit out here all day long buried underneath this damn car. You've hardly spoken to Kat, she's been through a lot recently Dean and she's put all that aside to help us. She needs us" She smiled as Sam's comment, such high praise. He trusted her implicitly told her things he never even told Dean. How would he react if he knew she was lying to him? Her thoughts distracted her.

"It's not going well Bobby; he's bottling it all up. Sam just wants help but ..." She sighed. It wasn't all his fault she'd been avoiding him a little; guilt. Almost like he'd just know she was hiding something.

"We all cope in different ways kiddo, he'll come round" She smiled and sipped the last of her drink. The door opened and the boys walked in.

"Bobby can we borrow a car?" Dean asked.

"Where are we going?" Kat asked as she swilled her flask in the sink.

"A woman left a message on dad's phone, I ran a trace on her number and I got an address" Sam smiled. She knew he was attempting to distract Dean. She doubted it would work.

"Course you can boys, here" He grabbed a key from the rack threw it to Dean.

They sat in silence on their way in the beat up minivan that Bobby had supplied them with.

"Roadhouse Saloon" Kat read aloud. An old bar that looked like it had seen better days; their destination. They got out of the van.

"This is humiliating. I feel like a friggin' soccer mom!" dean slammed the van door.

"It's the only car Bobby had running" Sam scolded. Ungrateful. Kat examined their surroundings, she could hear or smell anything out of the ordinary.

"You guys go ahead and check out the bar I'll check the perimeter, won't take long I'll meet you inside" Before they had chance to comment or object she was gone.

Nothing, nada, zilch ... almost too quite for her liking. Suddenly she heard it, a gun being cocked. She ran to the door of the Roadhouse; theatricality taking over she kicked open the door. She could faintly smell Dean's blood, didn't have much of an effect on her as she hadn't long fed.

"Yeah, I think these are John Winchester's boys" All eyes avert to Kat. "And I take it she's with you?" The older woman questions the boys. Dean's nose was bloody.

"Yeah, err this is-" Kat interrupted Sam.

"Kat, Kat Elkins" she smiled, the blond girl - she already hated her. She was eye humping Dean as they spoke. Time to mark her territory.

"Elkins huh, hey, I'm Ellen. This is my daughter Jo. How's Danny doing sweetheart?" She lowered her hand gun. Her daughter mimicked her actions.

"Dead, vampires, sweetie what happened to your nose" She gently placed her hand on Dean's chin and lifted his head to get a better look.

"I'm sorry to hear that, he was a good man, a good hunter" Ellen handed her a small towel filled with ice. Kat held it in place. He smiled at her, that naughty smile of his; she hadn't seen that in a while. She smiled back. Joe cleared her throat. Green eyed monster, mission accomplished. Kat - 1 Joe - 0.

"Thank you" Kat smiled weakly.

"You called our dad, said you could help. Help with what?"" Dean asked. Pleasantries over time to get down to business.

"Well, the demon, of course. I heard he was closing in on it" She stated as if they were stupid. Kat handed Dean his ice pack and took a seat on the stool next to him, placing her hand on his thigh; just in case she didn't make it clear before. 2-0.

"What, was there an article in the Demon Hunters Quarterly that I missed? I mean, who, who are you? How do you know about all this?" Dean asked her suspiciously. Kat noticed Jo eyeing her, was she on to her?

"Hey, I just run a saloon. But hunters have been known to pass through now and again. Including your dad a long time ago. John was like family once" Kat rolled her eyes at Ellen's comment, must of pissed her off too, always making friends that man.

"Oh yeah? How come he never mentioned you before?" Dean's tone was a little rude; Kat squeezed his thigh causing him to tense. 3-0 and a warning to Dean to play nice.

"You'd have to ask him that" She was hiding something, so her, Dean and now Ellen everyone was at it today.

"So why exactly do we need your help?" Obviously her warning went un-noticed.

"Hey, don't do me any favours. Look, if you don't want my help, fine. Don't let the door smack your ass on the way out. But John wouldn't have sent you if..." The look on her face indicated that the penny had dropped. "He didn't send you" Dean looked down at his feet then over to Sam. "He's all right, isn't he?" She already knew the answer.

"No. It was the demon, we think. It, um, it just got him before he got it" Kat was getting good at this lying thing.

"I'm so sorry" Ellen frowned.

"It's okay. We're all right" Dean inter wound his hand in Kat's. 4-0.

"Really? I know how close you and your dad were" Kat shook her head to warn her to drop it,

"Really, lady, I'm fine" Too late.

"So look, if you can help, we could use all the help we can get" Sam smiled at her.

"Well, we can't. But Ash will" why leave a message to say you could help if you merely knew a guy who could help?

"Who's Ash?" Kat asked.

"Ash!" She shouted, a guy who lay passed out on the bar jerked awake, sat up and fell off. Kat held back a giggle.

"What? It closin' time?" He questioned groggily.

"That's Ash?" She smiled.

The boys and Jo followed Ash; Ellen blocked Kat's path.

"Can I have a word?" Her tone serious. Kat sat back down. "So I'm guessing they know?" She gestured to Sam and Dean with her head.

"Know?" Kat was rumbled and she knew it maybe her grand entrance was too grand.

"That you're not human" She scoffed, obviously didn't appreciate Kat's attempt to play dumb.

"... Actually I am" Technically that wasn't a lie, well half a lie.

" Right so you just kicked that solid oak door open in-" She glanced down at her choice of footwear "converse?" Oh she was good; Kat would have to play it more carefully in the future.

"Sam and Dean unlocked the door, I was standing right outside I heard the guns cock ... it was an adrenaline thing" She watched as Ellen picked a bottle from the top shelf, she poured the clear liquid into a shot glass.

"So you wouldn't mind drinking this then would ya sweetheart?" Holey water, could she? She knew silver was harmless all her jewellery was made from it. She hoped she had no dead man's blood on that shelf too. She reluctantly picked up the glass, she slowly drank. It didn't hurt but it tasted ... horrible, like her body knew she shouldn't be drinking it. If she hadn't had drank earlier would it have hurt? If it was thrown onto her would she burn?

"satisfied?" Kat smirked. Ellen placed her hand on Kat's, what was she doing? Then she realised her wedding band. It was silver.

"Ok I'm sorry you just can't be too careful now days" She filled the shot glass with the closest thing to her, Rum.

"I understand, I love those guys so when I thought they were in danger I guess I just ..." Kat shrugged.

"I know, look my daughter she err you know thinks she's ..." She paused to choose her words carefully.

"God's gift?" Kat attempted to phrase it as a question not a statement.

"Err yeah so you know ... I'm sure now she knows Dean's spoken for she'll back off" She smiled. Kat smirked. Maybe her attempt to warn her off were a little over the top too.

"Sure, no problem" Sam and Dean returned to the front of the bar. "Hey sweeties what's going on?" She turned from Ellen towards the boys, Sam smiled at her choice of words he loved it when she called him sweetie. It was mom like.

"Ash's gonna track this thing down for us, using omens so err we gotta give him some time to do his thing" Dean sat at a nearby table. Sam joined her at the bar.

"How long?" Kat downed her rum, shaking her head as the after taste hit.

"Fifty one hours" Sam sounded as irritated as she felt, what the hell where they supposed to do till then.

"Right, I'm gonna go get some fresh air, stretch my legs" Kat stood to leave.

Kat sat on the hood of the Minivan, she took a deep breath. The lies were piling up.

"Babe, you alright?" She turned, Dean was watching her intently.

"Ellen, she err called me out ... made me drink holy water then tried to burn me with her wedding band" She didn't realise she was that conspicuous.

"Well you know you did kinda kick down the door FBI style" He smiled and joined her on the hood.

"I heard the guns I was worried ok? Shoot me ... in fact no don't cause that'd just further her suspicion when I get back up" She rested her head on his shoulder and he wrapper her arm round her waist.

"You have this ... aura about you Kat" He felt it; she looked at him in confusion. "Like there's just something about you, you know ... when I meet you I thought it was ... love at first site" He sounded like he was struggling to explain it.

"Aww that was the most romantic thing you've ever said ... I'll just ignore the 'but' that's coming" She teased, she kissed his cheek.

"What I'm trying to say is you have this presence, so Ellen probably just picking up on that" Kat at no idea she had that effect. So maybe it would be harder to hide than she anticipated.

"You never mentioned that before?" She turned to face him.

"Well like I said I thought it was ... just, because I was, ... I was in love with you" He smiled, he had a hard time talking about his feelings so this was a rare moment. She smiled.

"I love you too Dean and I want you to know that whenever you're ready to talk I'm here" He smiled; she knew she couldn't push him into talking about John, she's just have to wait till he was ready.

"Hey I'm sorry I've been ... distant the past week, it's just ..." He was attempting an apology.

"It's ok, I get it I lost someone too remember ... I guess I was so wrapped up in this case that I, I haven't really grieved" The more she thought about it she wasn't sure she was quite ready to let go either.

"Thank you Kat I mean it, you've put everything aside to help me and Sam and I want you to know we really appreciate it" She leaned in and kissed his lips, their first kiss in a while.

"I love you guys, your everything to me so don't feel like you have to apologise and thank me cause ... like you always say were family" He smiled; he placed his hand on the back of her head and pulled her into him their lips crashing.

"Oh and I noticed your little show in their too kitten" He held her close, her hands resting on his chest.

"Why whatever do you mean Mr. Winchester?" She smirked and batted her eyelids.

"Marking your territory huh? ... that's kinda hot" His eyes held that gleam, her enhanced libido was proving to be a pain in the ass.

"Well maybe the minivan wasn't such a bad idea after all" She raised her eyebrow suggestively.

"Oh that's naughty ... I like it" She slid off the car and pulled him with her by his forearms.

"Kat, Dean come here, check this out!" Sam cried from the door way of the Roadhouse. Kat and Dean sighed and rolled their eyes.

"This better be important" Kat whispered as she began to walk towards him.

"Can't you like, I don't know put him to sleep or something" Dean asked as he followed. Kat laughed, could she? She could compel him to she supposed but she wouldn't do that to Sam.

"A few murders, not far from here, that Ellen caught wind of. Looks to me like there might be a hunt ... I told her we'd check it out you know kill some time till Ash has a lead for us" Sam smiled and handed Dean a folder before walking towards the minivan.

"I preferred our idea of killing time" Kat exhaled and took the folder from him.

"Me too babe, me too"

Night had set in and as they drove all squashed up together in the front of the minivan. Sam was researching on his laptop, Dean drove and Kat watched as the rain bounced off the windshield.

"You've gotta be kidding me. A killer clown?" Dean announced, breaking the silence. He still couldn't believe it.

"Yeah. He left the daughter unharmed and killed the parents. Ripped them to pieces, actually" Sam had studied the news paper clippings Ellen had gathered.

"I hate clowns ... they think their sooo funny with their red noses and big shoes, anyone could squirt water at people and pretend to fall down" Dean laughed at Kat's outburst; he figured it had something to do with Sam's interruption. It was partly, however being cooped up at Bobby's drinking blood then having no hunt, no activity ... she felt restless, like she had too much energy and no release.

"Ok Babe you can have the kill shot, so this family was at some carnival that night?" Dean patted her on the head.

"Right, right. The, uh, Cooper Carnivals" Sam read the name from the folder.

"So how do you know we're not dealing with some psycho carnie in a clown suit?" Dean had such a way with words.

"Well, the cops have no viable leads, and all the employees were tearing down shop. Alibis all around. Plus this girl said she saw a clown vanish into thin air. Cops are saying trauma, of course" Sam smiled, in your face Dean, go Sam.

"Well, I know what you're thinking, Sam. Why did it have to be clowns?" Dean laughed.

"Oh, give me a break" Sam sighed.

"See babe you're not the only one who hate's clowns. You didn't think I'd remember, did you? I mean, come on, you still bust out crying whenever you see Ronald McDonald on the television" Kat burst out laughing, Sam's face was hard, he was getting a little angry.

"Well, at least I'm not afraid of flying" He snapped defensively.

"Planes crash!" Dean shouted at him , his tone serious. Kat continued to laugh.

"And apparently clowns kill!" Sam's comment pushed her over the edge, she cried laughing at them both.

"Oh and scarecrows I suppose that a normal is it?" Sam teased like a ten year old.

"Hey, hey now come on I almost got eaten by one so yeah actually it is" She wiper her eyes with the sleeve of her black hoodie. They all began to giggle slightly. It felt like a years since they had a laugh like this. "So these types of murders, they ever happen before?" She leaned her head on Sam's shoulder and smiled up at him, he smiled back.

"Uh, according to the file, 1981, the Bunker Brothers Circus, same M.O. It happened three times, three different locales" Dean watched as they conversed about the case, the two people he loved the most. "It's weird, though, I'm mean if it is a spirit it's usually bound to a specific locale, you know, a house, or a town" Sam looked to Kat, she nodded. "So how's this one moving from city to city, carnival to carnival?" He shrugged.

"Cursed object, maybe. Spirit attaches itself to something and the, uh, carnival carries it around with them, paranormal scavenger hunt sounds like fun" She smiled brightly, fun is definitely what the boys need right now.

"Well, this case was your idea. By the way, why is that? You were awfully quick to jump on this job" Dean sounded suspicious of Sam's choice of hunt.

"So?" Sam and Kat exchanged confused glances. What did he mean by that.

"It's just... not like you, that's all. I thought you were hell-bent for leather on the demon hunt" Dean kept his eyes on the road avoiding both their gaze.

"I don't know, I just think, this job, it's what Dad would have wanted us to do" Sam told him, he sounded a little confused himself.

"What Dad would have wanted?" Dean repeated.

"Yeah. So?" Sam shrugged.

"Nothin'" awkward silence followed for the rest of the journey.

Kat waited by the minivan for the boys to return with any information from inside the carnival. She had checked in with Bobby filled him on the case, they didn't talk about John. First rule of lying club don't talk about lying club. He'd asked about her 'condition' apparently no one liked saying the word vampire around her anymore. She had told him about her restlessness and he suggested dropping the dosage, she didn't tell him but she didn't want to. She figured that after a good hunt she'd feel normal again. The boys appeared, Sam looked a little scared.

"Sam sweetie you ok?" Dean laughed. "Shut up" She snapped. Dean looked like a child that had been scolded by his mother.

"Yeah, err thanks. Anyway two more last night. Apparently they were ripped to shreds. And they had a little boy with them, same deal; clown, who apparently vanished into thin air" Kat sighed, this carnival was huge.

"Looking for a cursed object is like trying to find a needle in a stack of needles. They could be anything" She gestured to the carnival with her head.

"Well, we figured it's bound to give off EMF, so we'd just have to scan everything" Dean nodded.

"So we got ourselves job's to blend in" Sam smiled.

"Nice one guys, I'm very proud" She placed her hand on her heart. Her babies were getting better at this hunting business. "Right so you guys get scanning and I'm gonna go to the carnival" She opened the back of the van and fetched her purse from her duffle bag. She removed her hoodie, she had a red t-shirt with a rounded neck that showed an acceptable amount of cleavage, short sleeved showing off her pale skin.

"You're going to the carnival? Like to go on rides and eat cotton candy?" Dean made it sound so strange, like they were the normal ones off to hunt a killer clown.

"Err yeah, well did you get me a job?" She shut the door and placed her purse in the pocket of her black jeans.

"No but ..." She cut him off.

"Exactly and you only have one EMF detector so, have fun call me if you need anything" She walked away. "Oh and don't work too hard!" She winked.

Kat emerged from the carnival, her face painted like a cat, cotton candy on a stick in one hand, a sugar dummy handing round her neck, a giant teddy bear under her arm, a key ring with a picture of her with her hands in the air with I rode the Devil's fright and lived! wrote on the top. Her hair and clothes wet from the rapids. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone, praying that it still worked it wasn't too damp so fingers crossed. She dialled Dean's number. She put her key ring in her back pocket.

"Hey sweetie, how's it going?" She asked, looking around she couldn't see the minivan. She took a bit of her cotton candy.  
"Oh so nice of you too call, where you? I called you like ten times" He didn't sound too angry so she decided to let it go.

"Well my phone has not rung once, unless ... I went in the haunted house and reception was bad" She attempted to explain.

"You went in the haunted house?" His words were flat.

"Yeah, why?" She realised how pointless that was once she said it out loud.

"Right, well did you have fun?" He lightened up a bit.

"Yeah I did, won you a teddy on the shooting range, got the high score and everything" She giggled.

"Well unfortunately babe funs over" He was glad she had a good day, she deserved it.

"You found it?" Kat moved away from the entrance, avoiding the few people on their way home.

"Yeah found it, shot it, watched it get up and dive out a window" Dean huffed, didn't like admitting defeat.

"So it's not a spirit then?" Kat hummed attempting to think of an alternative explanation.

"No the rock salt hit something solid, we had a close call so we've dumped the piece of crap van on the road and were just deciding what to do next" He sounded agitated.

"You ok Dean you sound ... you had a fight with Sam didn't you?" She sighed. They needed each other more than ever. They shouldn't be at each other's throats all the time.

"Look it's fine, we just ... you know me Kat I'm not a caring and sharing kinda guy and Sam he, I think this new found obedience to Dad its cause he ... he knows it's too late to make it right" Kat's heart broke, Sam and John fought like cat and dog and Sam never got to say he was sorry.

"Where is he now?" she'd have to walk or maybe run so fast no human could see to their location.

"He's gone to call Ellen, see if she's got any idea's ... hang on he's coming back, I'll put you on speaker" She heard the bleep, "It's Kat"

"Hey Sammy you ok sweetie?" She took a seat on a nearby bench.

"Yeah I'm ok, thank Kat ... anyway Rakshasa"  
"A Rakshasa? Wow, I've never seen one of those in real life before" Kat was excited, the hunt just got a little more interesting.

"Wait, what the hell's a Rakshakarn or whatever?" Dean asked.

"It's ancient, a Hindu creature they take a human form and feed on human flesh ... it fits they can turn invisible and can't get into a house without being invited, so I suppose if you were a kid and a clown knocked your door you'd think Christmas had come early ... unless you were me or Sam" She laughed.

"So why don't they munch on the kids?" Dean's question stumped them all.

"Not enough meat on the bones maybe?" Kat suggested, it was too much to hope these things had morals.

"What else'd you find out?" Dean asked Sam, they sounded ok with one another but the tension must be getting to them.

"Well, apparently, Rakshasas live in squalor. They sleep on a bed of dead insects"

"Ew" Kat's skin crawled.

"Yeah, and they have to feed a few times every twenty or thirty years" Sam continued.

"Slow metabolism" Kat added, she had read about them in Danny's journal.

"Well, that makes sense. I mean, the Carnival today, the Bunker Brothers' in '81" Dean agreed.

"Right. Probably more before that, so was there anyone you meet in the carnival that worked both shows?" Kat took a huge bite from her cotton candy.

"Cooper?" Sam suggested.

"Cooper" Dean reinforced.

"You know, that picture of his father that looked just like him" Sam was obviously referring to something they saw when working, Kat was too busy having fun.

"You think maybe it was him?" Dean responded.

"Well, who knows how old he is?" Sam answered.

"Ellen say how to kill him?" Kat answered Dean's question.

"Legend goes, a dagger made of pure brass" Kat bite her lip, where were they supposed to get one of those from?

"I think I know where to get one of those, Kat there's a blind guy a knife thrower tell him I sent you and he'll help, we'll meet you there" It's on now. She took the last bite and threw the stick in the bin. The teddy would just have to come with her.

"Thank you sir, we really appreciate it" The blind man lead her into his trailer.

"Well, I've got all kinds of knives. I don't know if I've got a brass one, though. Check the trunk" He tapped it with his cane. When she opened it all that was inside was a red clown wig.

"You? Just to let you know I bloody hate clowns" She dropped her fangs. The man threw his cane to the ground, pulled off his glasses. His eyes began to cloud and his face to melt. He waved goodbye then disappeared. She turned and attempted to open the front door, it wouldn't budge, a knife flew past her head and hit the door frame. She huffed, kicking the door off its hinges.

"Wow babe, what did the door ever do to you" Sam and Dean stood outside in the empty carnival.

"A cat? so inventive" Sam teased referring to her face paint. She had totally forgotten about it.

"Would you prefer it if I was a clown? Oh and by the way It's the blind guy, tried to shish kabob me" she kicked a piece of the door out of her way. Holding the teddy in front of her protectively. Sam and Dean exchanged amused glances.

"Well, did you get the –" Sam asked, attempting not to sound inconsiderate.

"The brass blades? No, unless it was the one he threw at my head" She smirked.

"I got an idea. Come on" Sam gestured for them to follow. He lead them into the Fun House. A door separates Dean from her and Sam.

"Dean! Dean, find the maze, okay?" Sam instructed.

Hey Sammy" Kat pointed at a pipe organ that was giving of steam. She pulled one of the pipes from the organ like it was nothing, didn't even flinch from the heat, she held the teddy under her arm. Dean came from round the corner.

"Hey" He greeted.

"Hey! Where is it?" Sam shouted.

"I don't know, I mean, shouldn't we see its clothes walking around?" Dean suggested. A knife pinned him to the wall by his sleeve, another pinned his other wrist.

"Kat!" He shouted, she ducked barely dodging a knife.

"Dean, where is it?" Sam shouted in desperation.

"I don't know" He told him in defeat.

"Hey Sam" Kat gestured to a lever with her head. He got it, nodded and walked over and pulled it. Steam poured from the organ and their it was; a vague shape.

" Sam, behind you! Behind you!" Before Dean even finished his sentence, she had ran over and stabbed it with the brass pipe, blood poured from his wound. Sam pulled the knives that were pinning Dean from the wall. When they turned to examine its body only empty clothes remained in a bloody pile.

"I hate funhouses" Dean smiled to her.

Back at the Roadhouse, Ellen had placed three beers on the bar for them. Kat didn't touch hers. She was wiping the paint from her face with a cloth Ellen had reluctantly given her. He teddy sat on the stool next to Kat.

"You boys did a hell of a job. Your dad would be proud" She smiled, don't bother mentioning Kat then. In fact John probably wouldn't have either.

"Thanks" Sam replied and gave Kat an apologetic look. She smiles. The back door opened and Ash entered carrying a folder and a weird looking laptop.

"Where you guys been? Been waitin' for ya" He nodded at Kat, due to Ellen's little interrogation they never got an introduction.

"I'm Kat" She smiled.

"Helllllooo Kat" He looked her up and down, Dean cleared his throat.

"We were working a job, Ash. Clowns" Sam told him.

"Clowns? What the f-" He began.

"You got something for us, Ash?" Dean's tone was harsh, someone's jealous. Ash placed his laptop on a table nearby, it looked homemade judging by the exposed wires.

"Did you find the demon?" Kat stood up and walked over to him, she could tell Ellen and Jo still hated her by the way their eyes followed every move she made. Maybe it was that presence Dean had told her about.

"It's nowhere around. At least, nowhere I can find. But if this fugly bastard raises his head, I'll know. I mean, I'm on it like Divine on dog dookie" Kat pulled a confused face at Sam, he shrugged.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"I mean, any of those signs or omens appear, anywhere in the world. my rig'll go off. Like a fire alarm" Ash smiled obviously very pleased with himself. Kat was impressed.

"May I take a look" She gestured to the screen.

"You sure can Missy" He watched as she bent over. Dean scowled.

"Ash this is amazing, where did you learn to do all this?" She smiled.

"M.I.T. Before I got bounced for... fighting" He looked down at his feet.

"Okay. You give us a call as soon as you know something?" Dean ordered from the other side of the bar, he picked up the teddy she had won.

"Si, si, compadre" Ash nodded. Dean stood, Sam mimicked his actions.

"Hey, listen, if you boys need a place to stay I've got a couple beds out back" Again ignoring Kat, what a bitch.

"Thanks, but no. There's something I gotta finish" Dean told her determinedly. His baby.

"Okay" She nodded.

They returned to the junkyard. Dean had headed straight back to the Impala, said he wanted to get it fixed as soon as possible. Sam and Kat sat in Bobby's living room, he had gone into town to get some supplies by that Kat assumed he meant alcohol. They sat in silence.

"Sam?" He had been staring out the window.

"Yeah?" He smiled; she knew it wasn't a genuine smile.

"Dean told me, about your little spat earlier" She took a sip of blood from her smiley face flask he had brought her. He remained silent. "I just want to you know that I'm here for you, I know Dean doesn't like talking about his feelings ... so I'm here, if, if you need me" She smiled.

" He was right" He told her, his tone flat.

"About?" Kat put her flask down on the table and moved to sit beside him.

"About me and Dad, for all I know Kat he died thinking that I hated him, I miss him and I feel guilty as hell ... but it's too late" A tear rolled down his cheek, she wrapped her arms around him. Should she tell him? It wasn't his fault that John died to save his brother? "I'm not alright Kat but neither is he"

"I know sweetie, I know ... why don't you go and tell him what you just told me, huh? Maybe if you open up, he will too" She kissed his forehead and wiped his tears away with her sleeve, he laughed.

"Kat your just like ... like the mom I never I never had" He smiled at her.

"Cheeky, I'm not that old" She laughed. "Go on, go have a chick flick moment" She gestured to the front door. He nodded, summoning the courage. He walked out slowly. Kat continued to drink her blood, awaiting the news on their chat. Sam came back into the house and proceeded straight up the stairs.

"Sa-?" She heard glass shattering, and then banging. She ran to Dean. The Impala was in worse shape than when they had returned. She noticed a crow bar on the floor.

"Dean?" He was near tears. He didn't say anything. She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him. This was exactly what she needed proof that telling him John died to save him would destroy him. But Sam needed the truth so his guilt wouldn't destroy him.


	40. Part 2 Chapter 3

Kat stomped into their current motel room. They had travelled to Red Lodge after reports of cattle mutation and a few bodies with severed heads.

"He piss you off too?" Sam was referring to Dean's new best friend a douche bag hunter called Gordon.

"You know what he said? Not only did he say that decapitation is okay because it's not like it was human! He also said that there's no black and white that when we find a, a thing we should kill it ... cause apparently were all evil" Kat was so angry, her eyes began to tint.

"Kat, just calm down, ok?" Sam stood up and took her hands in his. "Kat" He sighed. To make matters worse when they examined one of the victims head's they found retractable fangs. They were dealing with a nest of vampires. Gordon had been tracking the nest for some time and he was determined to finish it. She took deep breaths, calming herself.

"There's something about him Sam, we can't trust him and Dean's so far up his ass-" Sam pulled her into a hug.

"Look Dean's just looking for a replacement for Dad, don't let it get to you ... but you're right ..." He had called Ellen after they had gone to a bar with Gordon. He and Dean sparked up an instant bro-mance, Gordon began to dig at Sam, and so he left. He obviously didn't trust him either.

"What?" Kat had calmed and her eyes returned to normal.

"Ellen said he was dangerous very dangerous" Sam was worried.

"Well, so am I" Kat slammed down on the bed, the teddy she had won from the carnival sat infront od the pillow. "You don't think he, he suspected me do you?" Kat thought about Ellen and what Dean had told her.

"No, no I mean you didn't do anything ... vampish in front of him so why would he?" Sam went to the fridge and peered in.

"Sam when you meet me did ... did I feel ... did you get I don't know a vibe from me or ?" She wasn't sure how to ask the question without leading him.

"err ... well you have a strong personality, and ..." He wasn't sure what she wanted to hear.

"Do I feel different? From ... normal people?" She looked at him with sad eyes.

"... err, there's something about you, I mean your ... special" He smiled.

"Special ... right, look we gotta go fetch your dumbass brother" She stood up from the bed.

"Just, just relax ok, I'm gonna go get a soda from the vending machine and then I'll go get him" He pulled on his coat and made his way to the door. "You want anything?" He offered.

"No, no thank you" She removed her own jacket and closed her eyes. Now she thought about it, she could use a cold drink . She opened the door.

"Hey Sam?" a car sped away. "Sam! ... Sam!" she didn't think, she just followed, keeping her distance, it was hardly any effort to keep up. This vampire thing had some awesome perks.

They took him inside an old farmhouse, she snuck in. Sam was bound to a chair with a bag over his head.

"Sam" She whispered, she removed the bag from his head. He was gagged, she placed her finger to her lip to indicate her should be quiet. She removed his gag. She turned the bar tender that greeted them earlier showed his fangs, she showed hers. She was so glad she had old style fangs and not those hideous shark teeth they had evolved. A woman appeared at the door behind him.

"Wait! Step back, Eli" She ordered, he retracted his fangs.

"My name's Lenore, I'm not going to hurt you. We just need to talk ... especially now" She examined Kat. "How old are you?"

"Excuse me?" Kat stood in front of Sam defensively.

"Your fangs, their ... original ... are you an alpha?" She sounded intimidated.

"No I'm not, now I'm gonna take my friend here and were gonna go" She turned to untie Sam.

"We're not like the others. We don't kill humans, and we don't drink their blood. We haven't for a long time" She must have known they were hunters.

"The cattle, your responsible ... is it ...?" Kat raised her eyebrow.

"It's not ideal, in fact it's disgusting. But it allows us to get by" Kat was shocked; even she drank human blood just not from a human.

"Why?" Kat removed the last of Sam's ropes.

"Survival. No deaths, no missing locals, no reason for people like you to come looking for people like us. We blend in. Our kind is practically extinct. Turns out we weren't quite as high up the food chain as we imagined, example you" she gestured to Kat.

"Why are we explaining ourselves to theses killers?" Eli spat.

"Eli!" The woman ordered.

"We choke on cow's blood so that none of them suffer. Tonight they murdered Conrad and they celebrated" Eli shook his head.

"Eli, that's enough" She repeated. "What's done is done. We're leaving this town tonight" Kat was confused.

"Then why did you bring me here? Why are you even talking to us?" Sam asked he must have been confused too.

"Believe me, I'd rather not. But I know your kind. Once you have the scent you'll keep tracking us, it doesn't matter where we go. Hunters will find us; of course we didn't expect you to be a ... what did you say you were?"

"I didn't, so you're asking us not to follow you" Kat wasn't sure she should trust her.

"We have a right to live, we're not hurting anyone, you of all people should understand" Lenore pleaded.

"Right, so you keep saying, but give me one good reason why we should believe you" Sam looked over to Kat, she shrugged.

"Fine. You know what I'm going to do? I'm going to let you go ... Take him back. Not a mark on him" She gestured to Sam with her head, two vampires moved forward and placed the sack back on his head.

"Kat!" He shouted.

"Sam I'll be fine, go back to your brother tell him to rethink the hunt" They dragged him out of the house.

Kat sat at the dining room table, Lenore opposite.

"I have questions" Kat told her.

"So do I ... what are you? Alpha or just ancient?" Lenore seemed intimidated by her, made sense as the older the vampire the more powerful they became.

"No I'm a hybrid ... half human" Kat sighed.

"I, I didn't think that that was possible" She raised her eyebrow.

"Well neither did my father apparently, Leon Redfern you ever heard of him?" Luther had informed her of her father's name.

"Yeah he's, he was ... old, very old that explains your fangs" She nodded.

"How did he die?" Hunters, but how, why.  
"About twenty years ago Leon spread the word, any information about your ware bouts or anyone who could bring you in alive, he'd make it worth their while" Kat raised her eyebrow.

"Why?" That's why Luther had come to her house that day.

"There were ... rumours; demons were up to something ... something big. With our species near extinction we needed all the help we could get"

"I guess a hybrid would come in handy" And here she thought he just wanted to play daddy.

"Yeah, unfortunately for him all the new contacts he was making ... well lets' just say hunters got wind and ..." She frowned.

"Right ... so look I have a few questions if you wouldn't mind?" Kat nodded to her.

"Of course" She smiled.

"Right so ... err where to start? Umm well I've only recently found out that I was a ..." she stopped.

"Vampire" Lenore told her, quite sternly.

"Yeah, well I mean I was diagnosed as anemic and I fainted at the sight of blood ... I was told that it was a reaction that my system was overwhelmed and ..." She didn't quite understand it herself.

"Right, ok I would imagine that not knowing your true nature and lack of blood would have severely weakened you, knowing that you're a vampire and what your body is craving, it'll make it easier to process" Lenore shrugged, Kat was the only hybrid she'd ever heard over. It would be all guess work and a little logic.

"Ok err ... using my abilities weakens me is that, is that normal?" Kat wondered if it was due to her lack of blood intake.

"The more you use your abilities the more blood you will require, why are you having problems?" She guessed that Kat would not want to drink straight from the source.  
"I drink human blood but we steal it from hospitals ... I err I don't drink too much but ... not so long ago I was in an accident and I was taken to the hospital. I'd lost a lot of blood and so they gave me a transfusion ... I felt ... powerful" It scared her.

"The more blood you drink the stronger you'll become" Lenore stated like she was stupid.

"It's addictive, the power ... and if I don't do something ... vampire-ish I get restless and irritable" Too much power and jack all to do with it, thanks John.

"Well that shouldn't be too much trouble right you're a hunter?" She was still fascinated, how had Kat convinced two hunters to spare her life?

"It's easy though isn't it ... you do something and it's, it's amazing so you think oh a little more won't hurt and more and then you need more and more blood" Kat rubbed her forehead.

"It's a vicious cycle" Lenore frowned, she felt sorry for Kat.

"Tell me about me about it" Kat closed her eyes. "... err oh sometimes people just ... know I'm different, I've been told I have this, this presence?" Seems only hunters had noticed so far, or at least only they had kicked up a fuss about it.

"Your old school, strong, your human side eliminates most of our weaknesses ... they know your different but not why" Kat scrunched her face. That wasn't really going to help.

"Right ... I meet this crazy old woman, she hated me, I found out that she said she couldn't read me, why?" I a way she was glad, wouldn't want that nosey old bat poking around in her head.

"She was psychic?" Lenore was shocked, don't here of many of them anymore.

"Yeah, said she felt a block on my mind" She bet her and John had a right old bitch about her, even before John found out what she was he hated her. Maybe her 'presence' had something to do with it.

"Were on a different wave length ... I suppose it's a defence mechanism, wouldn't want anyone finding out what we are now would we?" Made sense.

"Wave length? Is that why we can sense things?" Kat was beginning to understand.  
"Demons you mean?" Lenore nodded.

"Yeah ... and reapers?" Kat was hoping she'd say yes.

"Demons are powerful, dark ... a hybrid like you should have no problem sensing them but reapers ... your only supposed to see them when you're dead, we can't and we don't" Lenore looked sympathetic, Kat rolled her eyes.

"Well technically I am dead ... maybe that's why, my human side can see them cause half of me _is_ dead" Her heart still beat and she needed to breath, she needed to eat, drink both blood and normal liquids.

"Maybe, best explanation I could think of anyway" She shrugged.

" Compulsion, why does it affect people differently?" Kat had only attempted it once, she didn't feel right messing with peoples minds like that.

"You can compel ... that's a lost art form to us, older vampires sure but for us new bloods, its hard to master " She looked shocked, Kat had assumed that it was instinct, that all vampires knew how to compel people. Now that she thought about it, it made sense that in all her years hunting them she had only witnessed it a handful of times.

"Right, I guess practice makes perfect right?" Kat wasn't really getting anywhere.

"I suppose" She nodded in agreement.

"I age, obviously but will I keep aging?" Kat had often wondered about this.

"Most likely, if it's any consolation you'll age gracefully" Kat was relieved.

"No It's good news, I, I don't wanna live forever" She'd have to watch all the people she loved grow old and die. She didn't want that either.

"Huh, funny that's what most people seek when they asked to be turned" Lenore was unsure why anyone would want this life. Maybe Kat would have been better off not knowing.

"Can I turn people? If I needed too?" She never had the intention too but she wanted to know just in case.

"Can't say for sure but I wouldn't get your hopes up, they probably wouldn't be able to withstand the transformation" Kat wasn't sure if she was glad or disappointed.  
"Right ... oh my fangs, they have a tendency to pop out ... in well inappropriate situation" Lenore raised her eyebrow, Kat nodded. The penny dropped.

"Oh, oh I got it yeah umm you'll find they 'pop out' when you're angry, in danger or ... in the moment shall we say" Kat went a little red.

"Can I control it?" She could really do with keeping them under wraps.

"Eventually ... you just have to try and keep your emotions under control, you're a hunter so the last thing you want is other's finding out what you are" She imagined not all hunters would be as open minded as the two she was with.  
"The two I travel with, they know" Kat told her proudly, they're not all bad.

"So I gathered, I never thought that ..." The more she thought about it, it made sense Kat was still human.

"To be honest I think that Sam doesn't care, to him I'm still the same girl ..." she smiled half-heartedly.

"But" Lenore could tell this was going to be a big 'but'.

"But his brother, my ... well were together" Finally.

"He isn't taking it so well?" Lenore frowned.

"No, no he is but ... I'm not sure I just, get this feeling that ... deep down he has a problem with what I am" She wasn't one hundred percent convinced he was completely ok with it.

"Do you?" Her question caught Kat off guard.

"What?" She asked.

"Do you have a problem with what you are?" Maybe to start with but not now.

"... No, not really ... it kind of explains a lot and as much as I hate to admit it I like the power, knowing I'm strong in my line of work that's comforting" She smiled, not only to look after but the boys too.

"Well then, just be careful ... now if that's all we have to get moving before he arrives" She stood.  
"Gordon?" Kat hear him say he had been tracking them for a long time and something told her he'd go through Sam and Dean to get to the nest.

"The hunter, he's been tracking us" She frowned. Kat stood up and tucked in her chair.  
"Don't worry he won't find you, I promise" Kat smiled.

"Thank you" She looked genuinely relived, this must be a great weight off her shoulders.

"No thank you, I needed this little chat"

Kat began walking; the vampires were loading up their truck. She thought about everything they had previously discussed but the real problem would be preventing Gordon from coming here. She returned to the motel, she walked; human pace. She needed to think. She noticed the Impala was gone from the lot. She opened their motel room door.

"Guys!?" No reply. The farmhouse. Where else would they have gone?

The Impala looked like it had been abandoned; no way would Dean leave his 'baby' like that. As she moved closer to the farmhouse she could hear Sam, Dean and Gordon. It didn't sound good.

"Gordon, I'm letting her go" Sam told him sternly. Kat peered through the window. Lenore was tied to a chair, bleeding. Gordon pointed the knife at Sam's chest.

"You're not doing a damn thing" He snapped, what could she do they couldn't kill him he was human, a terrible one but human none the less. No kill meant no vamping up in front of him.

"Hey, hey, hey, Gordon, let's talk about this" Dean held his hands up.

"What's there to talk about? It's like I said, Dean. No shades of gray" He smiled.

"Bastard" Kat whispered to herself.

"Yeah. I hear ya. And I know how you feel" What did Dean mean by that, did he agree?

"Do you?" Gordon wasn't convinced.

"That vampire that killed your sister deserved to die, but this one..." Gordon erupted into laughter.

"Killed my sister? That filthy fang didn't kill my sister. It turned her. It made her one of them. So I hunted her down, and I killed her myself" He sounded proud. How could he do that? To his own sister none the less.

"You did what?" Dean couldn't believe it.

"It wasn't my sister anymore, it wasn't human. I didn't blink. And neither would you" she's heard enough, she moved slowly.

"So you knew all along, then? You knew about the vampires, you knew they weren't killing anyone. You knew about the cattle. And you just didn't care" Sam shook his head in disgust.

"Care about what? A nest of vampires suddenly acting nice? Taking a little time out from sucking innocent people? And we're supposed to buy that? Trust me. Doesn't change what they are. And I can prove it" Kat watched from the kitchen window, if she could open the door without drawing any attention to herself she could get the jump on Gordon. He grabbed Sam's arm and slid his knife across it, he then placed it against his throat. He dragged him towards Lenore. Dean pulled his gun.

"Let him go. Now!" He ordered. Kat could smell his blood, not enough to make her crave but still Lenore hadn't feed on human blood for a while, what would she do?

"Relax. If I wanted to kill him he'd already be on the floor. Just making a little point" He held Sam's arm over her face, blood dripped onto her. She hissed and her fangs extended.

"Hey!" Dean shouted.

"You think she's so different? Still want to save her? Look at her. They're all the same. Evil, bloodthirsty" Gordon shouted to him. Lenore retraced her fangs and turned her face away from them.

"No. No!" She shouted.

"You hear her, Gordon?" Sam spat.

"No! No!" She repeated. Sam pushed him away.

"We're done here" Sam began untying Lenore.

"Sam, get her out of here" Dean gestured to the door. Perfect, Sam opens it she'd slip in.

"Yeah" He picked her up in his arms, Gordon moved closer to him.

"Uh-uh. Uh-uh! Gordon. I think you and I've got some things to talk about" Dean blocked his path, Sam opened the door.

"Shush" She winked at Sam, he nodded. She stepped into the house. Gordon jammed his knife into the wooded table.

"Fine" He nodded to Dean, he looked at the knife, Kat appeared in the door frame behind Gordon she smiled to Dean. He smirked, pulled the clip out of his gun and threw it aside. Gordon grabbed the knife from the table. Kat tapped him on the shoulder, he turned. She punched him in the face, he fell to the ground, out cold.

"Damn that felt good" She smiled. "Miss me sweetie?" She stepped over Gordon's unconscious body.

"Kat, are you ok?" He placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Yeah I'm fine, Dean what were you thinking ... he's a dirt bag, he's not like us" Kat frowned.

"I know, the way he was talkin' about ..." Dean looked angry.  
"Monsters?" Kat suggested gingerly.

"You're not a monster Kat" He snapped.

"And neither are these vampires, Dean I'm gonna make sure he doesn't find them" She turned and picked him up effortlessly, She threw him onto the chair Lenore had been tied too.

"Kat what you gonna do babe?" She rolled her eyes at him.

"I'm not gonna kill him if that's what your worried about" She began tying him up.

"Then what you gonna do?" Sam returned shutting the door behind him.

"Did I miss anything?" He smiled when he saw Gordon.

"Nah, not much. Lenore get out okay?" Dean asked.

"Yeah. All of them did, so what we gonna do about him?" Sam gestured to Gordon.

"I don't know yet" Kat slammed down on the table.

"Can't you ... you know" Sam widened his eyes. She shook her head in confusion "You know make him forget?" He wasn't sure if Dean knew she could do that, but it was their best option.

"Oh, err" Dean looked from Sam to Kat.

"Excuse me?" He didn't know, she never got round to telling him.

"Compulsion, controlling human's minds" She kept her gaze on Sam.

"You didn't tell me about that" Dean looked hurt. Kat and Sam keeping something from him, the two people he was supposed to be able to trust implicitly.

"Well to be honest Dean ... I haven't really had the chance, I told Sam cause I was upset and I was finding hard to accept what I was ... but with all this going on, the demon, John ... I guess we've all been preoccupied" Kat felt a little neglected if she was honest, it's like they forgot that she'd lost her uncle and her world turned upside-down. All because of Winchester family drama, drama which she'd put aside all her own to help them with.

"She's right Dean we've been selfish, we haven't even ... we haven't been there for you Kat, not like you have for us" Sam frowned. He was so cute. He looked over at Dean. He knew Sam was right, he's hardly spoken to either of them since John died.

"... I, ... he's right and I'm so sorry Kat, I am ... but right now we need to deal with him before he wakes up" Dean was genuinely sorry, but he was right they needed to decide what they were going to do with him.

"I don't want to attempt compulsion, it's too risky if he knows about it and how it works he may be able to resist it ... even if it works he may remember and then I'll be ... well he'll know what I am too" Kat could risk him spreading the word round the hunters.

"Just leave him, we'll call someone in two or three days, have them come out, untie him" Dean jammed Gordon's knife back into the table.

"Ready to go, Kat?" Sam asked her, smiling.

"Not yet ... I guess this is goodbye. Well, it's been ... unpleasant to say the least" She kicked Gordon knocking him to the floor. Still tied to the chair. "Okay. I'm good now. We can go" She smiled.

They exited the farmhouse, Sam had injured his wrist. Kat wrapped it up in a bandage, she suspected it was broken. They all walked in silence. Dean gestured to Sam with his head, indicating that he wanted to speak to Kat alone.

"Kat" She turned to face him, Sam carried on towards the Impala. "Sam was right in there, we, I especially have been selfish" He frowned.  
"Dean don-"She raised her hand to stop him.

"No Kat, look you lost your uncle, you, you found out that you were a ..." He was struggling to say the word.

"A vampire" she said it for him.

"Yeah ... and we, we were too preoccupied with our hunt that we, we weren't there for ya' Kat not like we should have been" He took her hands in his. "What I said to you back at the Roadhouse I meant it, me and Sammy were so grateful to you ... but I guess we just haven't been showing it" He smiled apologetically.

"Dean, you guys you mean a lot to me and I don't blame you for wanting that thing dead, believe me putting a bullet in Luther's head, it was the best feeling in the world ... I understand how easy it is to get wrapped up in revenge. So don't apologise" She wrapped her arms around him.

"I think me you and Sammy we need to have a long talk. You, you can explain everything to us and we can talk thorough it and ..." We they couldn't do anything about it even if they wanted too.

"That sounds like a really good idea, Lenore helped me clear a few things up today so, yeah" She nodded, he kissed her lips.

"Ok so, we'll get take out and you can fill us in, sound goo?" He smiled.

"Yeah, it does ... as long as your paying" She took his hand and they walked to the Impala.


End file.
